Out of Steam
by LuckE1
Summary: When Aizawa was roused from his sleep in the middle of the night due to an alarm at the dorm, he initially suspected that Bakugou or Midoriya had snuck out again. But when he went to the dorm to check it out, he definitely did not expect to see Todoroki Shouto sitting outside in the middle of the night. A quick story for Todoroki's birthday!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

* * *

When Aizawa was roused from his sleep in the middle of the night due to an alarm at the dorm, he initially was concerned. An alarm in the middle of the night could mean a villain infiltration, which wasn't too surprising. These villains nowadays were cunning enough to sneak in.

And with the latest villain attack against UA students that got several of them injured certainly put everyone on high alert.

But, once he checked security cameras on his phone, he realized that it was just one of the students taking a night stroll. He couldn't quite make out who it was on the small screen, but he had a hunch.

Damn it. If Midoriya and Bakugou were picking another fight with each other, he might just expel them this time. He was too tired for this.

So, he got dressed and headed down the sidewalk in the cold air down to the first-year dormitory. He had a plan to wait in the common room until the problem child came back and he would surprise him in the dark. That should scare him into not pulling another stunt like this again.

He rounded the corner, fully expecting to march right inside and plop down on the couch, but he stopped short when he saw a figure hunched on the bench just outside the door.

Aizawa squinted in the dark, trying to make out who the figure was, but it was hard to see. So he approached carefully, his hand clutching onto his capture weapon that hung around his neck. Something about this felt strange, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

It wasn't until Aizawa got right up to the door did he realize who it was–and the revelation shocked him.

He definitely did not expect to see Todoroki Shouto sitting outside in the middle of the night.

Aizawa frowned. It certainly surprised him, but he couldn't quite say it was unexpected. Todoroki was one of the students who was injured during the villain attacks. He was usually a pretty reserved student, so Aizawa couldn't tell if the boy needed counseling or anything like that. He seemed fine after Shuzenji released him.

But... maybe he wasn't quite as well as everyone had expected.

The boy was holding himself and shivering, icy crystals formed on the right side of his body. He was hunched over too far for Aizawa to see his face, but he recognized the obvious distress that was in the boy's shoulders.

"Todoroki?" Aizawa called, dropping his hand from his neck.

Todoroki flinched, tightening his grip around himself and shaking harder. He huffed out some steam and finally raised his head, barely allowing Aizawa to see the stressed expression on his face.

He didn't speak, and he didn't even seem to recognize where he was, which made Aizawa feel unsettled.

"What are you doing out here? You realize it's past curfew?" Aizawa asked.

Todoroki blinked at him, seeming to not really understand what he was saying. After a few tense moments, Todoroki's eyes cleared up a bit and he glanced down at the ground between his feet.

"I... It was too hot in my room," Todoroki said. "I wanted some fresh air."

Aizawa looked over the boy's body again, taking note of the violent shivering and the vice-like grip his hands had on his arms. Ice was forming on more parts of his body and slowly creeped to his left side, which steamed off instantly.

"Well, you shouldn't be outside past curfew. You should go back inside," Aizawa said.

He rested his hand on Todoroki's right shoulder.

It was an instant mistake.

Todoroki let out a gasp and jerked backwards, nearly falling off the bench. He glanced up at Aizawa in horror, his frame still trembling badly as more ice formed on his cheek.

Aizawa stared down at his hand that touched Todoroki's shoulder. He blinked for a few moments and tilted his head a bit.

Todoroki's shoulder was hot. And it was his right shoulder.

Something was wrong.

"Todoroki, I need you to calm down," Aizawa said, reaching out to him again.

Todoroki flinched again and more ice crawled up the boy's neck. This was getting bad. If this continued, it was possible that Todoroki could get frostbite.

Aizawa lifted up his hands and activated his quirk, his hair standing. The ice on Todoroki's body fell in chunks to the ground, and he stared down as they fell from him. He blinked up at Aizawa again, looking a bit calmer.

"A-Aizawa-sensei?" Todoroki said, finally seeming to know where he was.

Aizawa relaxed a bit and blinked, allowing his quirk to cut off. He reached out his hand slowly, making sure Todoroki could see every move, and then placed his palm on Todoroki's forehead.

Aizawa flinched and quickly pulled his hand away. The boy was burning hot.

"I think you're running a fever. And I don't know how that can affect your quirk," Aizawa said. "C'mon. Let's get to the infirmary."

Todoroki looked uneasy, his arms tightening around himself.

"I... I'll just go back to my room," Todoroki said. "I'm sorry to have made you come out here."

Aizawa pulled his brows together and looked down at Todoroki in concern.

"I don't think you understand. That wasn't a request," Aizawa said.

Todoroki let out a puff of steam and shivered again, more ice forming around his body. He shook his head.

"I just need rest," Todoroki said. "I'll be fine."

"No," Aizawa said, almost vehemently. These kids were always so stubborn. Why did he always have to get the troublemakers? "You are obviously unwell. You need to get help. No arguments. Got it?"

Todoroki had never looked so small. He always stood pretty tall with that confident gene that seemed to run in his family's blood. But right now, he seemed nothing more than a nervous, 16-year-old kid.

Which, Aizawa had to remind himself, Todoroki was just that. A kid.

Aizawa sighed and reached out his hand, gently placing it on Todoroki's back. It was so hot on his back, and yet, there were ice crystals forming. It would be fascinating if Aizawa hadn't been so concerned for Todoroki's health.

"Let's go. The quicker Recovery Girl can look at you, the quicker you can go back to bed," Aizawa said.

Todoroki swallowed and then nodded, looking really uncomfortable. He pushed himself to his feet and stumbled a bit with his balance. Luckily, Aizawa was there to catch him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"Just lean on me for now," Aizawa said. "Let's go."

Todoroki nodded again, and that was the cue for Aizawa to get walking.

As they headed towards the school building, Aizawa made a quick call to Shuzenji, regretfully waking her up. But she tutted and said it was no trouble and that she would be on campus shortly.

"Just make him comfortable," Shuzenji had informed Aizawa, and he wanted to roll his eyes. How could he make sure he was comfortable when he himself felt so out of place?

They entered into the school building and made it to the infirmary, Aizawa having to use his quirk a few times to get Todoroki to stop forming so much ice. He helped Todoroki onto one of the beds and handed him the blanket.

"Sit tight. Recovery Girl said she would be here soon," Aizawa said.

Todoroki looked down at the blanket and then back up at his teacher.

"You... don't have to stay," Todoroki said, guilt laced in his voice. "I didn't mean to wake you up in the middle of the night."

Aizawa hummed and grabbed the blanket from Todoroki's hands to wrap it around the shivering boy's shoulders. Then, he pulled over a chair to sit next to Todoroki's bed.

"It's no trouble, kid. It's part of the job," Aizawa said. "I haven't had a nightly patrol in a while anyway. It feels good."

Todoroki pulled the blanket tighter around himself, still trembling like a leaf while both sides of his body reacted to his quirk.

It must've been the fever, Aizawa deduced. He had no idea just the amount of damage fevers could do on a person with elemental quirks.

Then again... a lot of the students had gotten sick throughout the year. More than once, for a few of them. But this was the first time seeing Todoroki so unwell.

Something must have triggered it.

Aizawa folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in his chair, leveling Todoroki with a gentle stare.

"So, do you get sick often?" Aizawa asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

Todoroki shook his head. "I... haven't had a fever since I was a kid."

Aizawa quirked a brow. "That long ago?"

Todoroki nodded, tightening the blankets further. Aizawa activated his quirk to get the ice to fall from Todoroki's body, and the boy instantly sighed in relief as the trembling minimized a bit.

"Did you tend to get sick after using your quirk too much?" Aizawa asked.

"No," Todoroki said, sighing into the blanket.

"Hm." Aizawa twisted his lips. "I guess I'm just curious because this seemed to come on suddenly. No one else in the class is sick."

Todoroki looked at him, shivering in his blanket. He stayed quiet as his brows pulled together. He seemed confused as he thought it over, his lips twisting.

"I don't know," Todoroki answered, and it was obviously a lie. His hesitation had given it away.

Aizawa wondered. He always had a sickening feeling about Todoroki's upbringing, but he never brought it up because it didn't seem extremely obvious. The boy even interned with his father _twice_. There didn't seem to be a huge problem there.

But…

What if there were problems that Aizawa just hadn't seen before?

Aizawa cleared his throat, deciding to pry harder into Todoroki's psyche. "So, when you were a kid, what was going on around you when you got sick?"

Todoroki's eyes snapped back to him, ice covering his cheek. Aizawa paused, deciding to hold back on using his quirk for a bit.

"Was school stressful when you were young? Fights with siblings, perhaps?" Aizawa asked, and Todoroki squirmed on the bed, his hands tightening their grip on the blanket around him. Aizawa paused, eyes narrowing. "Or… maybe a disagreement with a parent?"

More ice shot up Todoroki's neck and face, his hair shiny as the sweat froze on his scalp. He let out a visible puff of air and shuddered, ducking his head.

Bingo.

Aizawa sighed, his fingers reaching up to pinch his nose. He took a moment to just breathe. He didn't know any of the facts, but it appeared that his original apprehensions and suspicions were correct. And the very thought made him sick to his stomach.

"Okay," Aizawa said, lifting his head. He activated his quirk, giving Todoroki some relief from the bitter cold. "So… Extreme stress can make you sick, then. Am I correct?"

Todoroki wiped the melted ice from his cheek and looked at Aizawa, and the look in his two-toned eyes made Aizawa's stomach twist. It was guarded and fragile, something he had never seen in his student's eyes before.

After a moment, Todoroki sighed and nodded, burying his nose back into the blanket and continued to shiver as sweat slid down the left side of his face.

Aizawa released his quirk and sat up in his chair. He tried to tie the pieces together, thinking back to what could have caused Todoroki the stress here, now. What could it have been?

And then it clicked.

The villain attacks the other night. Todoroki was one of the ones injured.

And he had been on his own, fighting against some villain that he hadn't wanted to talk about.

Aizawa leaned forward on his knees, staring at Todoroki seriously.

"What happened during the villain attacks?" Aizawa asked, his tone solemn.

Todoroki inhaled sharply and looked back at Aizawa with widened eyes.

"What?" he mumbled.

"You heard me. The villain attacks," Aizawa said. "What happened? That's what's caused your stress-induced fever, right?"

Todoroki swallowed. "I…"

"You're the only one who hasn't spoken about the specifics of who you fought and what happened," Aizawa said. "So talk. What was the villain like? Is it someone we've faced before?"

Todoroki looked as if he had been slapped, visibly shaken. He skin paled and his eyes glazed over slightly as he seemed to picture what had happened. Then, he blinked rapidly and lowered his gaze, his teeth chewing lightly on his bottom lip. He nodded slowly in response to Aizawa's question.

Aizawa raised a brow. "Who was it?"

Todoroki sighed and hesitated, obviously not wanting to talk about any of it. But the resigned look on his face showed that Aizawa had won. And it didn't feel good to win.

"It was… Dabi," Todoroki answered.

Aizawa's eyes widened. It had been a few months since he had heard about that man. He didn't even know that Dabi was one of the people attacking UA. Why in the world had he not heard about it until now?

"Why am I just finding out about this?" Aizawa asked, his voice a little tense.

Todoroki swallowed again, more ice crawling up his skin. "I… I don't know if I can say," he said softly.

Aizawa immediately backed down as thousands of worrisome thoughts flooded his mind. He took a slow, deep breath and decided not to jump to any outlandish conclusions until he heard the facts directly from Todoroki himself.

"You can trust me," Aizawa said gently. "I want to help you. But I can't do anything to help unless I know what happened."

For the first time all evening, Todoroki looked at Aizawa with a look of so much _trust_ and surprise in his eyes that it made Aizawa think that he had been doing his job incorrectly this entire time. How had it come to this? That he couldn't completely gain the trust of his students? What had he done wrong?

"What did he do to you?" Aizawa asked. He was almost desperate, his anger starting to get the better of him.

Todoroki hesitated once more, his throat bobbing as he swallowed.

"It's… He didn't necessarily _do_ anything," Todoroki started.

"Except for maiming you," Aizawa said, scoffing. "Is that it? When he hurt you… Did that cause the stress?"

Todoroki suddenly looked stricken, his face contorting into a mixture of pain and anger. His hands bawled up the edges of the blanket, gripping them fiercely.

"No. It's… He's…" Todoroki swallowed again and shut his eyes. "He's my brother."

Aizawa blinked at him, all of his thoughts screeching to a halt.

_What?_

"Come again?" Aizawa asked, his heart starting to thud inside of his ears.

Todoroki flinched and hunched in on himself further, shivering. "H-He's… my brother. Touya." He sighed and shook his head, looking frustrated. "He… We all thought he died, but… he's alive."

And a villain, no less.

Aizawa hung his head and ran his hand through his hair. He held his breath and closed his eyes for a moment. It was worse than he thought. Never in his wildest imaginations did he think that the son of a hero could turn to the other side. What kind of a cruel world was this?

"H-He s-spoke to me, and told me all of these things that only Touya would know," Todoroki said, starting to blabber as his panic rose. "I never got to know him growing up, and then he died and—"

Ice crackled again as it started to spread to the bedsheets. Aizawa was on his feet in an instant, rushing over to Todoroki's side and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Take a few breaths, Todoroki," Aizawa said. "You need to calm yourself down."

Todoroki took in shuddering breaths and hung his head, looking afraid.

"He's… so different than what I remember," Todoroki said, his voice trembling with each word. "He was always trying to protect all of us so we didn't h-have to train. But now… He's killed so many people."

Todoroki released a puff of steam, coating the blanket in a thin layer of moisture. Aizawa gripped his shoulder, urging him to relax. But Todoroki barreled on.

"And now… I don't know what to do," Todoroki said. He looked up at Aizawa, his brows furrowed and his eyes so, so lost. "He… He wants to kill our father."

Aizawa squeezed his shoulder. "Todoroki. _Breathe." _He demonstrated proper breaths for the boy. "In through the nose, out through the mouth."

Todoroki closed his eyes and followed Aizawa's instructions, breathing slowly and evenly until his chest no longer stuttered and his frame no longer shook so violently. Aizawa could feel his shoulder slump as he relaxed, and the cold temperature wasn't so biting.

"Better?" Aizawa asked, and Todoroki nodded wordlessly in response. Aizawa hummed and patted his shoulder. "Good."

Aizawa sat down on the bed next to Todoroki, thinking over his assumptions and the new information that was trying to process in his brain. Having this knowledge was dangerous, and could drastically affect the hero realm—no, the entire world—as they knew it. What would be the first steps? Outing Endeavor as an abuser once he got the truth out of Todoroki? Alerting the authorities? Going after Dabi—Touya—himself?

What was the best option?

Aizawa pinched the bridge of his nose again and then ran his hand down his face. This was such a mess.

"Sensei," Todoroki called suddenly. He glanced down at his student, taking in the boy's tentative expression, and he hummed inquisitively. "What's… going to happen now? Are…" His lips twisted a little. "Are you going to tell the police?"

Aizawa paused and tilted his head. "I'm not sure yet. Why?"

Todoroki winced and averted his eyes. "I'm… worried that news of this will get out. And while my family might be happy that he's alive," he took a moment to swallow, "I… I don't think it will good for them to know what he's become."

Aizawa blinked, his expression softening.

"My mother is getting better. And if she were to find out about Touya now, I…" Todoroki sighed and hung his head. "I don't think it will be good for her."

Damn. This was all so complicated. How could he resolve this? How could he fix this?

Ah, well. First thing he had to do was contact Nezu. This was definitely going to be a mess.

"I'll talk it over with the Principal, so you don't worry about it," Aizawa said. He hopped up from the bed. "You just focus on getting better."

Todoroki suddenly reached out and grabbed ahold of Aizawa's sleeve, which made the teacher's eyes widen. The fever must've really made Todoroki feel vulnerable. The poor boy probably didn't know how to handle being so sick.

"Are you… going to tell my father?" Todoroki asked. "About Touya."

Aizawa noticed that Todoroki's hand was shaking, and a thin layer of fear was laced in his eyes. He wasn't sure what that expression meant, but he feared that it could be Todoroki's instincts kicking in to try to protect himself.

It was all so wrong.

"Not initially," Aizawa said, patting Todoroki's hand. "Don't worry, though. We're going to do everything very carefully so no one has to get hurt."

The tension in Todoroki's body seemed to melt off of him (maybe literally), and his body just wilted. He let go of Aizawa's sleeve and nodded, his eyes drooping as he looked down at his lap. He suddenly looked exhausted, and Aizawa wondered how much of this had been stewing in his mind in the past few days. It had probably been a constant in his brain. It made Aizawa feel righteous anger bubble in his chest.

"Just… next time, come talk to me," Aizawa said to him. "Don't wait until the last minute to let all of this out."

Todoroki locked eyes with him and nodded. "Yes, Sensei."

Aizawa nodded back, feeling at least somewhat settled. "Good."

He leaned back in his seat and sighed, folding his arms across his chest again. He stared at Todoroki with hooded eyes.

"So, was it the fever that woke you then? Why did you lose control in the middle of the night rather than yesterday or right after the attack?" Aizawa asked.

Todoroki suddenly looked shy, his lips pursing as he looked away.

"I had a nightmare," Todoroki explained, "about my family celebrating my birthday together. But Touya… er, Dabi, I guess, came and killed our father and destroyed all of the decorations." He paused for a moment. "I guess… it kind of reminded me of all the uncelebrated birthdays I had in the past, and… then my thoughts spiraled out of control."

Aizawa furrowed his brow. It seemed a little random.

Unless…

"When is your birthday?" Aizawa asked.

Todoroki glanced up at him and he looked so, so tired.

"Today."

The word put a terrible taste in Aizawa's mouth for some reason, and he found that he couldn't speak. He simply stared at Todoroki with dread in his chest.

Why did all of this have to happen on the poor kid's birthday?

"Ah, sorry, sorry! I came as fast as I could!"

The door to the infirmary swung open and in walked Recovery Girl, a small smile on her face despite the bags under her eyes. She shivered as soon as she got close to the table.

"My goodness! It's so cold in here!" she said. She looked over Todoroki's form and tutted. "You look like a mess, boy!"

Todoroki bowed his head a little in shame. "Sorry for waking you."

Recovery Girl waved her hand. "Nonsense. You're ill and need treatment." She glanced at Aizawa and shooed him with her hands. "Now, now. You go on back to bed, dear. I'll take care of him."

Aizawa bowed his head slightly. "Thank you, Shuzenji."

He looked to Todoroki and nodded at him, trying to look as comforting as possible, but Todoroki looked a bit concerned, almost a panicked look in his eyes. Aizawa paused, watching as Recovery Girl started to take Todoroki's temperature, but the boy did not remove his gaze from Aizawa's frame.

"Ah. Actually, Shuzenji," Aizawa said. "I think I'm going to hang around here for a bit."

Todoroki instantly relaxed, the panic leaving his eyes. Recovery Girl faced him with a less-than-happy look on her face. She sighed and shook her head.

"If you really must stay, then fine. Just don't get in my way," she said.

Aizawa nodded and pulled out his phone, holding it up in the air for Todoroki to see.

"I need to make a call. I'll be right outside," Aizawa promised.

Todoroki nodded and finally leaned back in the bed, allowing Recovery Girl to do what she needed to do. She gave him a kiss on his forehead and his eyes fluttered shut automatically, his chest slowly rising and falling as he drifted off.

Once he saw that Todoroki was finally relaxed, Aizawa left the room and immediately dialed Principal Nezu's number.

"Ah, sorry it's so late," Aizawa said with a sigh. "But… we should talk."


	2. Chapter 2

I was planning on this being the final chapter, but would you guys like more? Let me know if you would like more chapters!

Happy reading, and thank you for all your comments!

* * *

Chapter 2

* * *

Aizawa found himself dozing in his seat, his body slouched against the bench and his head leaned against the wall. He had wandered down from the infirmary as he spoke to Nezu, giving him all of the details of what he had spoken to Todoroki about.

He had quickly explained the details of the night to the yawning Principal. He had to keep his emotions in check a few times as his chest alighted with anger for his disturbed student. How could they have missed this all year? Or, rather, why didn't they—when they noticed the signs—do anything to help him?

Once he was done explaining the situation, Nezu was quiet for a long time. But after what seemed like ages (the man seemed to love keeping people on their toes), he hummed and said that he would come in as quickly as possible to discuss the matter.

Aizawa breathed out a sigh in relief once he hung up the phone. The tension was still there, but at least someone else was coming to help the situation. He wouldn't be utterly alone anymore.

He ended up sitting in the east wing lobby of the building. It was quiet enough to give him space to think about all of this mess.

But it made him feel sick to his stomach to think about. And all of this coming to a head on the boy's birthday, of all days.

Aizawa sighed and glanced out the window. The sky was still dark, but there were flecks of light trying to peek above the horizon as the sun started to rise. Had they really been out here all night?

Suddenly, the door to the lobby clicked open, and in walked Principal Nezu in warm clothes and holding two steaming to-go cups in his paws.

"Ah, there you are! I had to try a few other doors before I decided to search this one," Nezu greeted with his usual smile. He shuffled over and handed Aizawa one of the steaming cups. "You can be hard to find, you know."

Aizawa bowed his head slightly. "Sorry. I forgot to tell you where I was," he apologized as he took the cup.

"No worries. I just know you pretty well by now." Nezu plopped in the seat next to Aizawa and sipped at his cup, humming softly. "So," he began gently, "I suppose we should discuss what we should do."

Aizawa hummed, tired. He stared down at the coffee cup in his hand and sighed, feeling exhausted suddenly. It had only been a few hours, but it had felt like days. The sun was barely above the horizon, making the sky burst into beautiful colors that stretched all around. It was a shame that Aizawa felt too much like shit to appreciate it.

So, they began to talk. Aizawa explained the situation again, Nezu humming every so often. Aizawa also talked in-depth about Endeavor, and the countless suspicions he had for the man ever since Todoroki arrived at UA.

"Do we have confirmation on the accusations against Endeavor?" Nezu asked softly.

Aizawa shook his head, eyes still gazing out the window. "Not yet. Todoroki has only implied it. He's only really spoken about his brother."

"I see," Nezu said. "We should discuss things with Todoroki first, then. See if we can get him to speak up about his childhood."

Aizawa hummed. "And then?"

"Well. I guess the next step would be to apprehend this villain who brought so much distress to our student."

Aizawa snapped his eyes to Nezu, who was sitting in his chair with a light smile on his face. But his eyes looked angry, fuming almost. It sent a shiver down Aizawa's spine.

Nezu took a moment, closing his eyes, and he lifted his coffee up to his lips and sipped, letting out a long sigh. Then, he smiled softly.

"Well, now that the sun is coming up," Nezu said, hopping up from his seat, "shall we continue this investigation?"

Aizawa blinked lazily at him. "Shouldn't we let Todoroki rest more? He seemed really out of it earlier."

"True, but it's been about five hours since then," Nezu said, checking his watch.

Aizawa's brows furrowed. Five hours? Had he really been wandering the halls and sitting in this lobby for that long?

Damn it, how was he supposed to teach at this rate?

"Crap. I've got to get to class," Aizawa said, rubbing his face.

Nezu held up a paw. "No need. I've asked Nemuri-san to fill in for you today."

Aizawa hummed and stood to his feet. At least the girls in the class would learn something today. The boys would be too distracted, Aizawa feared.

"All right. Let's get this over with," Aizawa said, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Nezu smiled and they began to walk down the dimly lit hall that led back to the infirmary. With the sun already up, the kids would certainly be in class by now. It would explain why this wing was so quiet, but Aizawa still felt uneasy. Especially since one of his students just claimed that a villain, a certain notorious villain with a violent background, was his brother. What a complete mess.

Suddenly, fast footsteps echoed from down the hall.

Aizawa and Nezu stopped in their tracks, Nezu's ears perking up. Aizawa reached for his capture weapon and tugged it off of his neck, ready for the intruder to get closer.

Steady, he told himself. The footsteps were getting closer, just at the part of the hallways that intersect. Aizawa inched closer to the corner, and he could see a shadow quickly heading his way.

Before he could even think, Aizawa hurled out his scarf, sending the capture weapon forward and snatching up the intruder in a split second.

"A-Ah, w-w-wait! It's me!"

Aizawa's heart flipped at the voice and he squinted in the dark to see a patch of curly dark green hair.

"Midoriya?" Aizawa asked, narrowing his eyes.

Midoriya gulped, wriggling a bit in the binds. He wiggled what little fingers were still captured in the scarf and gave a wobbly smile.

"Ah, good morning, Sensei!" he greeted.

Nezu smiled where he stood. "Well, aren't you an early riser?"

Midoriya paled and wriggled even more. "Ah, Principal!" he exclaimed. "G-G-Good morning!"

"Young Midoriya, get back here!"

Yet another voice boomed down the hall, and the frail Toshinori came shuffling in, his sunken eyes widening when he spotted Midoriya trapped in the bindings. He glanced over to Aizawa and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Ah, funny meeting you guys here," Toshinori said.

Aizawa blinked and gave them his most disappointed stare, to which they both noticed and shrunk back, averting their eyes. Aizawa sighed and finally released Midoriya from his bindings, the boy exhaling softly when freed.

"What are you doing here, Midoriya? It's nearly 8am. You should be at school," Aizawa said.

Midoriya frowned. "Well, I was going to go, but I wanted to stop by Todoroki's room first to wish him a happy birthday. But when I knocked, he didn't answer, so I might've well… I might've opened up his door anyway," Midoriya said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Aizawa tried hard to pay attention to each and every word. He had the tendency to just tune Midoriya out.

"A-Anyway! The door was unlocked and when I went inside, his room was covered in ice! So I panicked and tried calling him, but he didn't answer," Midoriya said. "So then, I went to the school early to try to see if I could find him, and that's when I heard All Might talking to Nemuri-sensei about filling in because Todoroki was in the infirmary."

So he eavesdropped.

Why did Aizawa always have to put up with the troublesome ones? _Why?_

Toshinori sighed. "I caught him and tried to calm him down, assuring him that Young Todoroki was probably fine," he explained. "But then he took off. I couldn't really catch up to him, I'm afraid."

Aizawa glared down at Midoriya, and the boy squeaked. "You do realize that what you're doing is skipping class, right? You could get detention for this."

Midoriya's lip wobbled a bit, but he shook his head as if to fling it away. Then, he stood tall, proud, just like the young hero he desires to become.

"I know that, Sensei, but I'm really worried about Todoroki," Midoriya said. "It looked like he had lost control over his quirk, and… that doesn't happen very often. Especially since he's been training more and more with Endeavor during our internship."

Just hearing the name coming out of Midoriya's mouth made Aizawa's skin crawl. It just didn't seem right at all.

"I'll clean up all of the rooms as much as you want, but please!" Midoriya asked, bending at the waist in a modest bow. "I just want to make sure my friend is okay!"

Aizawa suppressed his umpteenth sigh of the evening, his face twisting into something resembling a mixture of annoyance and pure exhaustion. He thought about just sending the kid back, but when he saw Midoriya's scarred fists start to quiver by his sides, he knew he had lost.

Curse his sympathetic heart.

"Fine. You can go see him," Aizawa said, and Midoriya snapped to attention, looking ready to burst. Aizawa put up a hand to stop him before he could start rambling again. "_But_, you have to leave if he wants you to. And you have to do an extra assignment of my choosing."

Midoriya nodded furiously, and Aizawa turned to walk past him back down to the infirmary. Out of the corner of his eye, Aizawa saw that Toshinori was also following, looking a bit concerned at the situation. It was fine, though, Aizawa figured. This was something that he should hear, too.

When they reached the infirmary door, Aizawa stopped and turned to look at the rest of the group.

"You all should stay out here for a moment. Let me see if he's up for so many… visitors," Aizawa said.

Midoriya nodded furiously once again and Toshinori gave a thumbs-up. Aizawa rolled his eyes and entered, letting the door remain half-open behind him.

Todoroki was sitting on the inclined bed, his eyes blinking slowly up at the ceiling. Recovery Girl was standing close by, her hand flipping through his chart, and when she noticed Aizawa's presence she turned to look at him.

"Ah, you're back," she greeted.

Todoroki slowly turned his head to look at Aizawa, his face turning surprised.

"Sensei," Todoroki greeted, his voice gravelly.

Aizawa nodded at him. "How're we feeling?"

Todoroki shrugged, pulling his blanket tighter around his shoulders and neck. He shivered, sighing out a puff of steam.

"I didn't want to completely destroy his immune system in case his quirk decided to go haywire," Recovery Girl explained, "so he still has a fever, although it's lessened. I want his body to recover in a more natural way."

Aizawa nodded at the explanation and then turned his attention back to Todoroki.

"You up for some visitors?" Aizawa asked.

Todoroki tilted his head, looking confused. "Visitors?"

"Yeah. Midoriya is itching to see you," Aizawa said, tossing his thumb over his shoulder to point at the door.

At the mention of his name, Todoroki's eyes lit up. "Ah. Yeah, he can come in."

Aizawa rolled his eyes and went back to the door, opening it all the way up and gesturing for the rest of the group to enter. Midoriya was the first one in, his eyes frantic as they gazed upon Todoroki's sluggish body on the infirmary bed.

"Todoroki!" Midoriya gasped, hurrying by his friend's side. He put a gentle hand on Todoroki's shoulder and then yelped, pulling his hand back. "Gosh, you're _burning!"_

Todoroki frowned apologetically. "Sorry. I can't really… control it right now."

Midoriya shook his head and went back to squeeze Todoroki's shoulder. "No, no. It's fine, I can handle it."

Todoroki smiled, just a bit, and Aizawa quirked a brow. Perhaps bringing Midoriya in would be beneficial after all.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we do have some important business to discuss here," Nezu said.

Todoroki blinked at the man, his eyes also finding Toshinori standing in the corner.

"Principal? All Might?" Todoroki asked.

"Good morning, Young Todoroki!" Toshinori greeted with his smile, and Nezu also smiled in greeting.

Todoroki's brows furrowed, obviously confused. "What's going on? Why are you all here?"

Aizawa stepped forward. "We're here to talk about what happened and get more details. If you're up for it, that is."

Todoroki sat up more in his bed and straightened his back, looking a bit uncertain. Midoriya shuffled closer to Todoroki and knitted his brows.

"What do you mean? Todoroki, what happened last night?" Midoriya asked.

Todoroki winced, hands fisting in his sheets as his gaze lowered to his lap.

Nezu hummed and patted his chin. "Perhaps we should have a little privacy."

His beady eyes moved back to Midoriya, who squeaked, looking a thousand times more concerned than he was already. He looked desperate to stay, and was even inhaling to come up with something to say about the matter.

"No," Todoroki said suddenly, grabbing Midoriya's hand that rested on his shoulder. "He can stay. He… already knows some of it."

Aizawa squinted at him, and Nezu hummed. "I see," the Principal said. "Well, as long as you are comfortable. Then, shall we begin?"

Todoroki frowned. "Where… do I even start?"

Aizawa folded his arms across his chest. "How about from the beginning?"

The boy swallowed and shivered, and Midoriya's hand moved to his back. Todoroki nodded at him in silent thanks and then turned back to Aizawa, his eyes looking suddenly lost.

"Have you ever heard of quirk marriages?"

* * *

The room was dead silent when Todoroki finished his story. The bright smiles that everyone had worn at the beginning were now completely gone, replaced with horror and anger.

Even Midoriya looked shocked, which meant that Todoroki left out several details from him.

Aizawa's hands were folded into tight fists, his nails digging crescents into his palms, but he hid them under his arms and tried to remain as calm as possible.

"Young Todoroki, I…" Toshinori's voice broke the silence first, his face stricken as one of his hands reached up to clench onto his shirt near his heart. "I had no idea. If… If I had known that there was so much… _hatred_, I…"

He looked close to tears, his hands shaking either from anger or guilt. Aizawa frowned at the sight. None of this should've ever happened, but for All Might to blame himself—

"I don't blame you."

Todoroki spoke suddenly, grabbing everyone's attention. Aizawa glanced back at Todoroki, who looked more at peace than he ever had. It was as if a tremendous weight had lifted from the boy's shoulders. How much of a burden was it for Todoroki to keep all this stuff in, anyway?

"There was never a time in my life where I ever blamed you for anything. If anything, I blamed _him,"_ Todoroki said.

"Young Todoroki…" Toshinori said softly.

"You were always a role-model for me. I never wanted to be a hero like him, but I always wanted to be a hero like you. Someone who actually cared and truly wanted to help people," Todoroki said. His gaze dropped to his lap again, the conviction in his voice starting to fade as his confidence diminished. "I… know I started off poorly, but I still hope I can become someone who makes you proud."

Toshinori sighed and stepped forward, causing Midoriya to move out of the way, and he hugged Todoroki in a tight grip, his skinny arms wrapping around the boy's frame.

"You have always made me proud, Young Todoroki," he said. "I can't wait to see what kind of hero you become."

Todoroki's eyes squinted and he hummed, his arms coming up to gently pat the man's back. And just like that, the tension in the room melted.

Aizawa sighed, utterly spent both emotionally and physically, and he turned back to look at Nezu. The Principal was looking at the scene with an unreadable look on his face. He wasn't quite smiling, but Aizawa could tell that the wheels were turning in that brain of his.

"So… is that what this is about, Todoroki? Your family?" Midoriya asked once Toshinori pulled back.

Todoroki glanced at Aizawa next, as if asking for permission, and Aizawa nodded.

"Not… exactly," Todoroki said. "You remember the villain Dabi?"

Midoriya's eyes blew wide. "The villain that attacked your father?"

"Yes," Todoroki said. "He was the villain who injured me a few days ago."

"Huh?!" Midoriya screeched. "Why didn't you tell anyone?! We have to do something!"

Todoroki's face twisted and he grabbed Midoriya's shoulder gently.

"Midoriya, there's… something else," he said, getting his friend to relax just for a moment. He hesitated, his two-colored eyes looking at each of his teachers carefully before settling back on Midoriya. "Dabi… is my big brother. Touya."

Toshinori and Nezu's reactions were instantaneous; Toshinori gasping while Nezu looked completely thrown.

Midoriya took a moment to react, but once the words processed, he froze up, his jaw dropping. His eyes widened and his hands began to shake.

"B-But… I thought you said he was…" Midoriya said.

"Dead?" Todoroki offered, leaving Midoriya to nod. "Yeah. I thought he was, too." He paused, his thumbs dancing around each other on his thighs. "But I guess not."

Midoriya was speechless for once, his eyes gazing at his friend in shock. He swallowed and turned, looking back to his teachers and looking so much like a child that it was hard to believe that this was the same kid who took on dangerous villains by himself.

"What… What do we do?" Midoriya asked.

Aizawa could feel his face turn soft. "We're doing everything we can to catch this guy and bring justice to Todoroki."

"That includes Endeavor, mind you," Nezu said.

Todoroki's eyes widened. "My father?" he asked.

"Of course. He should be brought to trial for his actions in all of this," Nezu said with a nod. "Besides, he was the catalyst for your brother's downfall, am I right?"

Aizawa watched as Todoroki's brows knitted, his hands playing with the blanket that covered his legs. A bit of frost shined on his right cheek, but he didn't even seem to notice it.

"We would find a good lawyer for you, if that's what you're concerned about," Nezu said. "You will be safe and in good hands here. You don't need to worry about the process. We will take care of everything."

Todoroki hesitated, his throat bobbing as he swallowed. "I… don't know if I want that," he said softly.

Nezu and Toshinori looked bewildered, but Midoriya only reached over to grab onto Todoroki's hand, stopping the boy from fidgeting too much.

Aizawa tilted his head and kept his arms tightly folded across his chest. It seemed like a wishy-washy response, but there had to be something more to it.

"And why is that?" Aizawa decided to ask. "Why the hesitation?"

Aizawa could see Midoriya squeezing Todoroki's hand. That problem child knew something, dammit.

"My father… He's still a wretched old man that made terrible decisions in my childhood, and he was still the one who drove our family into ruin," Todoroki said, pausing a bit, "but he's trying really hard to make up for his actions. He's trying to become someone different."

He looked up, his eyes glazing over Toshinori's form for just a brief moment before landing back on Aizawa.

"I haven't forgiven him, but I'm willing to try to let our family be in peace," Todoroki said.

Midoriya frowned, his thumb gently stroking over Todoroki's knuckles as the boy shook.

"He's also the number one hero. He's the hope of the people," Todoroki said. "If we take that away now… then who knows what will happen to our society."

"That's not something for you to worry about, Todoroki," Aizawa said. "Let us deal with those problems."

Todoroki shook his head, his face set. "I don't want charges pressed against him."

Aizawa sighed. "Todoroki, you—"

His sentence was cut off when he felt Toshinori's hand touch his shoulder. The fragile man looked more forlorn than ever before.

"Maybe we should try to figure out the best option later," he said softly, nodding towards the boys.

Aizawa turned his head back to the bed and felt his stomach do a strange summersault.

Todoroki was looking down in his lap once again, his shoulders trembling and frost covering his arm. Midoriya was seemingly trying to rub the frost from his friend's forearm but to no avail. The frost just kept returning over and over.

"This topic seems… a bit heavy for now," Toshinori added.

Aizawa's shoulders slumped. "Mmn. I suppose you're right."

Nezu nodded and also hummed in agreement with the plan. "I think our next course of action would be to discuss this with the other faculty. Then, we can find a solution that is favorable to everyone," he said. "How does that sound, Todoroki?"

Todoroki eased out a steamy breath and nodded, pulling his knees to his chest. Nezu hummed and smiled brightly.

"And don't worry. This won't get out to the press. I'll make sure of it," Nezu said. He turned to the door and waved at the rest of them in the room. "Well, I should get back to school and… drum up some plans."

With that said, Nezu bowed and left the infirmary, his paws in tight fists by his sides. It seemed that all of this news was more troubling to him than Aizawa had imagined it would be. Their fearless, eccentric leader who always seemed to be calm in the face of danger was showing a side of himself that Aizawa hadn't seen much of.

He inhaled deeply and tried to calm his pounding heart. Nezu wasn't the only one frazzled by the whole ordeal.

"Um… Recovery Girl?" Midoriya called, peeking around the corner for the old woman. She was sitting at her desk, seeming to be dozing, but she sat up straighter when she heard Midoriya's voice.

"Yes, dear, what is it?" she asked, adjusting her glasses. She wasn't wearing her usual costume, which almost made her look older.

"Ah, well… I was wondering when Todoroki would be able to head back to the dorms," Midoriya said.

Recovery Girl frowned and scratched her chin. "Well, he might be able to go back tomorrow."

"T-Tomorrow?!" Midoriya squeaked. "B-But that'll be too late!"

Todoroki tilted his head at his friend. "Too late for what?"

Midoriya suddenly froze, his face flushing a deep red. He quickly turned back to Todoroki and waved his hands in the air and shook his head.

"Um, uh! It's nothing! D-D-Don't even worry about it, Todoroki, it's—"

The more Midoriya stalled in his answer, the more concerned Todoroki looked, and Aizawa didn't want the boy to be any more flustered than he already was. Making his emotions more unstable would only make things worse.

He was about to yell out at Midoriya and tell him to shut his trap, but Toshinori stepped up and patted Midoriya's back.

"Ah, Young Midoriya, perhaps it would be better to just... tell Young Todoroki your plans?" he asked.

Midoriya frowned, obviously upset by the whole thing, but he turned to look at Todoroki anyway.

"When I found out when your birthday was, I decided that we should throw you a party," Midoriya said, and Todoroki's eyes began to widen and the frost on his skin stopped spreading. "S-So we all got together and well... it was going to be a surprise, but I guess... it's not now."

Todoroki blinked at him, little drops of water sliding from his right cheek. Then, after a moment, he smiled softly and looked down at his lap.

"I can't remember the last time I had a birthday party," Todoroki said. He looked at Midoriya with a fond expression. "Thank you, Midoriya. Really."

Midoriya's lips quivered into a wobbly smile and he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Of course, Todoroki. You're our friend, you know?" His smile faltered a bit. "But... I just wish we could still do the party."

Todoroki shrugged. "You guys can still have it at the dorm."

"Without you?! No way!" Midoriya said. "There has to be something we can do for you! It's your _birthday."_

Todoroki smiled. "You've done enough, Midoriya. Really."

Midoriya's little spirit looked crushed, his shoulders slumping. "But there has to be something we can do…"

Aizawa paused, twisting his lips as he stared at the two. Midoriya was looking more and more like a kicked puppy.

Aizawa pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment before looking back to the two students.

"There might be an alternative," he said to them.

The solemn look on Midoriya's face melted away and he stared up at his teacher now with hopeful eyes.

"What do you mean?" Midoriya asked.

Aizawa put his hands into his pockets and sighed. He knew he was going to regret this.

* * *

"Happy birthday, Todoroki!"

The entirety of Class 1-A was crammed into the now-decorated infirmary. Streamers, balloons, party hats, several cakes (thanks to Satou)… The perfect mixture for a birthday celebration.

And at the center of it all was Todoroki, who sat on the infirmary bed with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders and a colorful red party hat on his head. His eyes were wide with wonder as Midoriya handed him a piece of one of Satou's delicious cakes. He looked as if he had never seen a birthday party before, even though he has been to several since living in the dorms.

But, perhaps, his astonishment was because the party was for _him_. And that was something he had never had before. It made Aizawa feel both relieved and angry at the same time.

The sleep-deprived teacher sipped at some punch and leaned against the wall, watching the whole thing. One of the students had placed a party hat on his head at some point, and while he was annoyed, he didn't have the heart to take it off. Especially when Eri complimented him on how cool it looked.

So, here he was, enduring the loud children as they celebrated a saddened and sick boy's birthday.

"Well, this turned out wonderful, didn't it?"

Aizawa turned to see Toshinori walking up and leaning against the wall next to him. He was holding a plate of cake and was also wearing a party hat.

"I guess," Aizawa said, taking another sip of punch.

"Oh, don't be like that! You know very well that you're the reason this all happened," Toshinori said. He looked out fondly at the students. "You've made them very happy."

"Well, most of them. The birthday boy mostly looks confused," Aizawa said.

"Heh, I suppose so," Toshinori said, chuckling at the look on Todoroki's face. "Well… with everything that's happened in his life, I'm sure this is all… overwhelming for him."

Aizawa's stomach clenched at the painful reminder. He downed the rest of his punch in one go and then crushed the paper cup, tossing it into the recycling bin next to him.

Toshinori stared at him with a little bit of sorrow in his eyes. "I'm burdened by it, too. I can't help but feel at fault for some of his torment."

Aizawa sighed and shook his head. "You already know that he doesn't blame you."

"I know. But I should at least shoulder some of the responsibility, right?" Toshinori said with a teary-eyed smile.

Aizawa frowned. "If anything, it's Endeavor's fault. That man has always been so arrogant, but I never realized his ego was this large."

Toshinori hummed and then paused for a moment. "But Todoroki doesn't want him punished."

"I know," Aizawa said with a groan, rubbing his eyes.

Toshinori looked out at the students with knitted brows. "Then… what can we do to help him now?"

Aizawa sighed. "Well, we can only try to make the situation easier. And I think the only way we can do that is trying to catch Dabi."

Toshinori swallowed. "This… could get messy."

"It already is," Aizawa retorted softly.

Toshinori didn't respond. Instead, he went back to eating his cake in silence and watching as Todoroki started to open up some presents.

Aizawa was doing the same, seeing the light return to Todoroki's once-jaded eyes. This kid deserved more than what happened to him. He was so _good_. Why did so much pain have to come to these kids, anyway?

Then again… becoming a hero had its sacrifices.

Suddenly, Aizawa's phone buzzed in his pocket, distracting his mind from the static that was currently ringing in his ears. He pulled it from his pocket and saw a message from Nezu. He quirked a brow and opened the message to read its contents.

_From: Principal Nezu_

_Dabi was spotted downtown earlier. We have three pros on the chase. Will update when I've found out more._

Aizawa pressed the power button to his phone and shoved it back into his pocket, his eyes landing back on Todoroki, who was watching Midoriya laugh with a smile of his own on his face.

"Is something wrong?" Toshinori asked, quickly picking up on Aizawa's sudden mood change.

Aizawa kept staring out at Todoroki, who at that moment, looked up and locked eyes with his teacher. The smile faded from his lips and he tilted his head curiously, or maybe even in concern.

Should he tell him? Aizawa wondered, but then he noticed the rest of the students all gathered around the boy with smiles on their faces and more wrapped presents in their hands. It was a peaceful scene, one that didn't need to be interrupted, Aizawa decided.

"No," Aizawa said, lifting up a hand to wave at Todoroki. Todoroki blinked and then raised his hand in a small wave in return. Then, he went back to talking with Midoriya, who kept giving him more presents.

Aizawa lowered his hand and shoved it in his pocket, closing his eyes for a moment.

"Everything's fine."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

* * *

Aizawa could feel his blood boiling. It was almost literal, and he considered going to see Recovery Girl for a checkup, but he decided against it.

He was in his classroom early, his brain too wired to sleep in to his usual time. He had gotten news overnight that had made him so beyond frustrated that he thought about exiting his apartment and skipping class to deal with the problem himself. He didn't go out, but damn, did he want to.

He frowned as he glared down at the text message on his phone again, feeling as if it had personally offended him.

_From: Nezu_

_We lost him._

It was just three words, but those three little words were enough to send him on edge. He felt as if he would break something or snap at someone if they got close. Every time he reread the message, he wanted to throw his phone.

When the bells rang in the halls and students started to flood into the classroom, Aizawa sighed and pocketed his phone, trying to quell the angry headache that was simmering behind his eyes.

How annoying. How _annoying._

He had half the mind to go to Endeavor and just arrest _him._ He _was_ the cause of Dabi's poor attitude, anyway. So why not pin the blame on the lousy father who almost killed his own children?

_"I don't want charges pressed against him."_

Aizawa rubbed his temples. That boy was frustrating. He understood. Truly, he did. But at the same time…

"Good morning, Sensei!"

Aizawa blinked back into reality when he heard Iida calling out to him. He glanced up to see all of Class 1-A already sitting in their seats and waiting for instruction. Well, minus one student.

"Right," Aizawa mumbled to him. He had a job to do. He looked down at the schedule on his desk, his eyes flitting over it a few times. Ah, they had sparring classes later today. That should definitely be interesting. "Okay. Go ahead and take out your notes. We're going to study some combat tactics this morning."

Aizawa could see Midoriya's face light up with excitement as he scrambled to get his notebook out. At least several others looked a bit interested in the topic.

"Now then," Aizawa said, standing to his feet. "You need to be sure that when you are facing an opponent, you size them up. If they are taller than you, then you need to change your strategy."

He turned to the blackboard and grabbed some chalk, ready to start the day's lesson. He pressed the tip of the chalk to the board and started to write, but the classroom door suddenly slid open and made him startle. He glanced to his right and felt his breath stutter.

Todoroki was standing in the doorway, his uniform blazer unbuttoned and his hair a bit messy. His cheeks were still flushed and there was visible sweat on his temple.

"Todoroki, what are you doing here?" Aizawa asked, letting his hand fall to his side.

Todoroki blinked at his teacher, looking ready to faint at any moment's notice, but he stepped inside and slid the door closed behind him.

"I'm… here for class," Todoroki answered, the end of his sentence lilting a bit in a question.

Aizawa put a hand on his hip. "You should be resting back at the dorm."

"But Recovery Girl cleared me."

"To go back to the dorms, perhaps, but you're obviously not fit to be in school."

Todoroki's face twisted a bit, his entire expression looking a bit stricken as his hand wrenched the strap of his bag. He lowered his gaze to the floor and inhaled softly through his nose.

"I don't want to get behind," Todoroki answered. "Can I just stay, please? I won't get in the way."

Aizawa's eye twitched. He could feel his frustration beginning to grow again, but for a different reason than before. His eyes briefly flitted over the expressions of the other students, and he managed to spot Midoriya's concerned face. The boy looked ready to jump out of his seat.

Aizawa sighed. He knew he _should_ send Todoroki back to rest, but the boy looked determined to stay regardless of how sick he was.

"Fine. But if I suspect that you're even the slightest bit unwell, I'm sending you straight back to the infirmary. Do I make myself clear?" Aizawa asked.

Todoroki nodded, his shoulders relaxing at his answer. Aizawa felt a little better at seeing him more relaxed, but he would have to keep a sharp eye on him for the rest of the day.

The boy gave a swift bow and he sluggishly dragged his body to the back of the room where his seat was. Along the way, Midoriya reached out and pinched the edge of Todoroki's sweater in between his fingers, his brows knitted together in worry. Todoroki patted his hand and kept going, Midoriya's eyes never leaving him.

Ugh, now everyone was distracted. Maybe this was a bad idea after all.

"All right, focus back up here. We have a lesson to get through," Aizawa said to everyone, grabbing their attention again.

The students were reluctant to turn around, but as soon as Aizawa started to scrape his chalk on the board, they were quick to take notes. He had their attention for most of the morning—all except two students near the back of the room. One sick, and the other too worried to pay attention.

* * *

The day went on fairly smoothly as Aizawa taught. During a homework break, though, as he was about to pull his sleeping bag out, he noticed a slumped-over figure in the back of the room. He tilted his head and peered down the aisle, seeing Todoroki completely passed out on his desk.

Aizawa narrowed his eyes and put the sleeping bag back down, folding his hands together on his desk to watch. The bell rang, and the students sluggishly packed up their bags and started to file out.

"Don't forget about this afternoon's training session," Aizawa announced as they left, but his eyes never once left Todoroki's motionless body from the back of the room.

Midoriya was the last to leave, the boy hesitating by Todoroki's desk. He was biting his lip in worry, his eyes flitting back and forth from Aizawa, and he started to fidget. After another breath, Midoriya reached forward and touched Todoroki's shoulder, hissing slightly at the contact.

"T-Todoroki," Midoriya called softly. "Hey, wake up."

Aizawa sighed, ready to stand to his feet to intervene, but Midoriya shook his friend's shoulder again, and the boy finally stirred.

Todoroki let out a soft grunt and then opened his eyes blearily, blinking back into consciousness. He sat up slowly, his right cheek red from it being squished on his textbook. He looked around the room first before landing his confused eyes onto his friend.

"Midoriya," Todoroki greeted, his voice groggy from sleep. "Where is everyone?"

"Gone to their next class," Midroiya said softly.

Todoroki blinked at him. "Huh? But we just started this class, didn't we?" He looked down at his notebook in confusion. "I didn't get to take any notes."

"Well, that's what happens when you fall asleep," Aizawa answered dully from the front of the room.

Both boys flinched, Midoriya more so, and he scrambled to help pack up Todoroki's things.

Todoroki stayed put at his desk and swallowed, his hooded eyes looking down at this paper tiredly.

"Oh," was all he could supply, and Aizawa sighed.

"C'mon, Todoroki. You should get back to the dorms," Midoriya said, putting one of Todoroki's books in his bag.

Todoroki stiffened and shook his head. "I can go to class. We have Midnight-sensei, right? Our paper is due." He stood up, a little wobbly on his feet. "I have to turn it in."

"Are you sure you can handle that today?" Aizawa drawled from the front, his arms folded across his chest as he watched the two of them bicker. "You still look sick. Maybe you should go back to the dorms."

Todoroki sent him a weak glare, but Aizawa wasn't offended by it. He nodded to the door.

"Go back to the dorms and sleep it off," Aizawa said. "You can come back here when you're well."

Midoriya stepped forward and took Todoroki's arm. "C'mon. Let's go."

But Todoroki resisted, his body going rigid in Midoriya's grasp. He looked up at his teacher with such conviction and desperation in his eyes that Aizawa wondered if the fever was really getting to him.

"Please, I'm fine. I just fell asleep," Todoroki begged. "I want to stay in school today."

"You're still too sick today, Todoroki," Midoriya said. "You need _rest."_

Todoroki frowned. "I don't want to go back. Sensei, please." He was looking at Aizawa and begging now, which was unusual for the normally proud boy. "Let me stay. I won't fall asleep again. I promise."

Aizawa quirked a brow at him, unsure of how to react to this display. Midoriya was still trying to tug him away, his voice whispering loudly in the room.

"Why are you fighting this so much?" Midoriya said, trying to keep his voice quiet. But Aizawa's ears were sharp. "You just get a day off, okay? No big deal."

Todoroki's lip pulled to the side and he ducked his head, his eyes staring at his notebook. His hands curled into tight fists on his desk and shoulders started to tremble just slightly.

"I… I need to get stronger," Todoroki answered.

Midoriya frowned. "Of course you do. That's what we all want as upcoming heroes."

Todoroki shook his head. "It's not just that." His breath stuttered a bit as he rambled, _rambled_, unable to get his words in order. He was spiraling and it was starting to drive Aizawa a little nuts.

"If he wants to stay in school, then fine," Aizawa interrupted. The boys looked up at Aizawa. "But no more falling asleep. Got it?"

Todoroki nodded. "Yes, sir."

Aizawa pointed at the door. "Now get going."

Todoroki sluggishly stood to his feet and gathered up his belongings. Midoriya helped him along, grabbing his notebook from his desk and tucking it under his arm.

Aizawa watched as the two of them left and headed out of the classroom, Midoriya seeming to stick to Todoroki like glue. Aizawa sighed and rubbed his temples.

It seems that just keeping an eye on him wouldn't be enough.

He paused, looking down at his phone on his desk. He tapped his finger next to the darkened screen and paused, thinking over what he could do to remedy this before Todoroki completely spiraled out of control.

He turned on his screen, seeing another text from Nezu, saying how they should proceed with the investigation of Endeavor and his treatment of his family.

His family…

Aizawa opened up the text and started to respond.

_Let's find out about his other family members._

* * *

After lunch, the class was back with Aizawa for some one-on-one sparring practice. He had already told the class that morning what was to be expected, and most of them seemed to understand how to better your opponent if they were a different build.

So the task was to partner up with someone of a different stature to spar.

The class seemed pretty spread out and even as Aizawa looked over the different pairs. But one pair was a little troubling.

Todoroki was paired up with Shoji.

It wouldn't normally be a problem, and it actually would've been an excellent pairing to practice sparring, but Todoroki was swaying on his feet, his face still beat red. He was still in a fighting stance, his hands ready to fight.

Aizawa briefly wondered if he should try to switch him with someone else, but they _were_ following instructions.

Perhaps he should watch them more diligently during this exercise.

"The goal is to render your partner immobile without the use of quirks," Aizawa said, forcing his eyes to slide across the other students. "We can't always rely on our quirk. We have to use some of our own skills as well."

The students didn't protest, which was both surprising and expected at the same time. These students understood the importance of enhancing their skills, especially with the amount of drama they've been through over the last few months. They had aged so much, and it hurt to see.

Aizawa took a quick breath to reset his mind and then faced the rest of the students.

"On my mark, get started. I, along with All Might, will be walking around to observe," Aizawa said, pointing to the former hero in the corner. The man smiled and folded his arms across his chest. "Ready. Set. Go!"

The students began their sparring, using the techniques that Aizawa taught them that morning. Uraraka was already beating up on poor Sato, who looked vastly unprepared for her advanced fighting style. Ashido and Iida were also a good match—both going at it heartily and surprisingly evenly.

The others were fine, some struggling more than others, but none were quite as uncomfortable to watch as Todoroki and Shoji.

Shoji looked hesitant to strike, taking a step back after throwing a weak punch in Todoroki's direction. Todoroki, on the other hand, was going at it with all of the strength he had left to offer. It was a rather painful display, one that Aizawa feared would end in serious injury if Todoroki didn't slow down.

"Todoroki, uh… you sure you're okay?" Shoji asked, standing up straight and dropping his multiple arms to his sides.

Todoroki was huffing and puffing, sweat dripping from his temples. He nodded quickly and then he lunged forward again to strike, Shoji barely moving to get out of his way.

"Hey, slow down! You look like you're about to faint," Shoji said, now putting up his hands.

Todoroki growled lowly. "Don't worry about that. Just fight me!"

Aizawa's brows creased. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Jiro fussing at Midoriya for not paying attention, and Aizawa realized that the problem child was only paying attention to the poor fighting display in front of him.

Now that he was looking, Aizawa realized that several other students were watching Todoroki as he fumbled about, trying to land a punch on Shoji.

This… was getting out of hand. Maybe he should call to see if that meeting could be moved up sooner. Someone had to talk some sense into this boy, and if his teachers couldn't do it, then maybe—

"Ah, Todoroki!"

A dull thud brought Aizawa back to reality, and on the ground was Todoroki, hunched over on his hands and knees and heaving in breaths. Sweat was falling from his face onto the dirt.

"Todoroki!" Midoriya called, frantically sliding onto the ground by Todoroki. He rested his hand on Todoroki's back and peered at his face in worry.

"Y-Young Todoroki!" Toshinori was also quick to join, his hands hovering as if he was unsure of what to do.

Aizawa sighed. This had to stop.

He briskly walked over to their sides and knelt down in front of Todoroki, Midoriya shifting out of his way to accommodate him. Aizawa pressed his hand to Todoroki's forehead and immediately felt the heat radiating from his body. It wasn't as bad as it was before, but it was still enough to make him pause.

"All right. You're done for the day," Aizawa said.

Todoroki flinched and then raised his head to look at his teacher, eyes frantic and desperate. It was so unlike the boy that Aizawa wondered if he should take him to the hospital instead.

"I… I'm—"

"And if you say you're fine one more time, I will personally knock you out and take you to the hospital myself," Aizawa said.

Todoroki's mouth snapped shut. He sat back on his heels and hung his head, looking more drained than ever.

Aizawa sighed. He never should have let him attend school today.

"C'mon. Let's get you back," Aizawa said, taking ahold of his arm.

Todoroki swallowed and allowed his teacher to haul him up by his arm. Aizawa glanced over to Toshinori and nodded to the rest of the students.

"I'm taking him back to the dorms," Aizawa said. "You mind taking control here?"

Toshinori nodded, his eyes lingering on Todoroki's face for a few seconds before returning back to Aizawa.

"I'll handle it. I hope you feel better, Young Todoroki," Toshinori said.

"T-Todoroki…" Midoriya whispered.

But Todoroki said nothing as he hobbled along Aizawa, his teacher keeping his hand on his arm to secure him. Aizawa could see the mortification in Todoroki's eyes as they walked away, so he tried his best to let Todoroki walk on his own. But he kept his hand on his arm. Just in case.

* * *

They walked back to the main campus and towards the dormitories. Todoroki started to slow down with each step, his exhaustion obviously taking over him. They made it to the front door but Aizawa veered them to the side where the bench was, the very same bench that Aizawa found him before.

Todoroki plopped down on the bench and heaved out a tired sigh, hunching forward and grabbing his knees. He squeezed his knees hard, his arms starting to tremble. Aizawa sighed softly and sank to the spot next to him.

"You should've gone back to the dorms like I told you to," Aizawa said.

Todoroki wiped his forehead. "I just wanted to get better," he said, just like he did with Midoriya earlier that morning. "I didn't want to get behind."

"One day wouldn't have set you back so far. You know that." Aizawa paused and quirked a brow at him, folding his arms across his chest. "Why were you so desperate to stay at school? You get the day off. Most kids would be jumping at the chance for that."

Todoroki swallowed, his eyes staying glued to the ground in front of them. Now that they were actually resting, Aizawa could tell that the boy needed it. He looked much better already just from taking his mind off of everything.

"I… I thought I could handle it," Todoroki said. "I wanted to try to push through it. Like a hero would."

"Heroes take rest days, you know," Aizawa said.

Todoroki pulled his hands into his lap and curled them into fists.

"I don't have time to rest," he said, voice shaking. "I need to be strong enough to keep people safe."

Now Aizawa really didn't understand. Had the fever completely fried Todoroki's brain? Why was he talking in circles like this?

"That's what heroics is all about, Todoroki. Keeping people safe," Aizawa said. "And you can't keep people safe if you're tired like this."

Todoroki's eyes narrowed painfully as he struggled to find the words. His face was still red, the fever making his cheeks look hot.

"But what if… what if Touya… Dabi…" Todoroki started, his voice still quivering. "What if… What if he tries to hurt my family?"

Ah. So there it was.

The whole reasoning behind it all.

Todoroki wasn't trying to be stubborn.

He was just scared.

Aizawa reached over and grabbed ahold of Todoroki's fist, squeezing it just slightly so the boy would look at him.

"You don't need to worry about protecting them, Todoroki," Aizawa said. "And you're plenty strong enough to handle it if it were to come down to that."

Todoroki looked unconvinced. "But… I couldn't beat him before."

"You were also alone before," Aizawa said, shaking Todoroki's fist to grab his attention again. "Heroes don't have to work alone."

Todoroki pursed his lips and sniffed, turning his gaze back down to the ground. After a moment, he nodded.

"Okay," he said softly.

"So will you relax now? And actually rest?" Aizawa asked.

Todoroki nodded again, and Aizawa's shoulders slumped as he sighed. He didn't realize how tense he had been all day until this point.

"Good. Now, Principal Nezu and I already have been trying to secure you and your family from any kind of attack in the future," Aizawa said.

Todoroki looked up at him. "My family?" he repeated. "You're going to keep them safe?"

Aizawa nodded. "Yes. Actually, I have a meeting planned for—"

"Sho?"

"Shouto?"

The two of them jumped at the sound of a man's voice coming from in front of them. They turned, and to Aizawa's surprise, there were three figures waiting on the front grass at the gate of the dormitories. One was tall with stark white hair, while the shorter woman next to him had glasses. Nezu was the third, a bright smile on his face and his paws clasped behind him.

Beside him, Todoroki's head tilted curiously.

"Fuyumi? Natsuo?"

The two Todoroki lookalikes both hurried over to the boy's side with worried looks on their faces. Todoroki tried standing to his feet, but the boy—Natsuo?—pushed him back down by his shoulders.

"Whoa, whoa! You look terrible!" he said.

"Shouto, why didn't you tell us anything about what was going on?" the girl—Fuyumi, Aizawa presumed—asked as she felt his forehead.

Todoroki winced, his eyes looking at Aizawa and then Nezu, who walked up to them all calmly.

"I didn't want to worry you," Todoroki said as Fuyumi took her hand from his forehead.

"Oh, c'mon, Sho. You know that's not a good excuse," Natsuo said. "And sis always worries about you whether or not you're sick or in trouble."

"H-Hey!" Fuyumi said, pushing against Natsuo's arm. "Why are you blabbing things like this?"

"What? I'm only telling the truth!" Natsuo said, a smile on his face.

Fuyumi sighed and shook her head in response, which only made Natsuo look smug.

"Anyway. You're burning up! You should be resting somewhere!" Fuyumi said.

Aizawa sent Todoroki a knowing look, and the boy pointedly averted his gaze to stare at the concrete pathway.

"It's… not as bad as the other night," Todoroki said.

"Huh? The other night?" Natsuo said, looking concerned. "What's going on here? Why weren't we told you were so sick?"

"Ah, sorry! I believe that was on my poor judgment." Nezu waltzed up and smiled at the siblings. "I believe we have a lot to discuss. And also provide new living arrangements for the two of you."

Natsuo and Fuyumi's eyes both widened at him. They exchanged looks with each other before turning back to Todoroki, their brows furrowing.

"Shouto, what is going on?" Fuyumi asked nervously.

"Does this have anything to do with Dad?" Natsuo asked, his face pulling downward in anger. Interesting, Aizawa thought.

Todoroki stayed quiet for a moment as he looked at his siblings in the eyes. After a tense moment, he sighed and shook his head.

"No, it's… it's about Touya."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

* * *

He checked his watch, just briefly. And then, with noticeable bags under his eyes, he glanced up to look at the three siblings sitting on the couches, their eyes looking a bit vacant and jaded.

The three of them were silent—Fuyumi and Natsuo looking more disturbed and shocked. Todoroki, on the other hand, looked exhausted, his fever-ridden body starting to shut down from all of the excitement of the day.

They had all moved inside the dorms to discuss what Todoroki had mentioned, all of them moving to the living room to sit down. And after he had explained the situation, his siblings were stunned, looking at each other in horror and shock from hearing the news. Then, they fell into an uncomfortable silence that seemed to last forever.

Aizawa tapped his finger on his knee. The discomfort from sitting in the room was extreme, even for him. He wished he had brought his sleeping bag so he could rest. He was so exhausted.

But, after another long moment, Natsuo was the first to break the silence, his hands raising to ruffle through his stark white hair.

"So… you mean to tell us that… that _freak_… is our _brother?"_ Natsuo asked, lowering his hands in front of him and sending a weak glare in Aizawa's direction.

"Natsuo…" Fuyumi admonished, probably at her brother's tone.

"Yes," Aizawa answered. He nodded towards Todoroki. "During a fight between them, your brother here had a conversation with Dabi. And the villain apparently revealed some personal things that only Todoroki Touya would know."

Fuyumi shook her head and put her hand over her heart, clenching her shirt. Her eyes shimmered.

"This is… I just can't believe this," she said. "Touya was always so… caring. Why has he turned out this way?"

"Is it really so hard to believe?" Todoroki finally spoke. His voice sounded a bit strained, though. "I mean… our old man did something to him, right?"

Natsuo and Fuyumi snapped their heads towards him, looking at him with wide eyes.

"Wait, Shouto, did you…" Fuyumi stopped to look at Aizawa, almost fearfully, and then back to her youngest brother. "Do they… know?"

Todoroki bit his lip and wrung his wrists, sitting quietly for a moment. He eventually nodded, making his siblings pale. Fuyumi was the first to speak up, looking a little frazzled as she stared at Aizawa.

"Our father is trying to change," Fuyumi started, looking unsure. "I know that everything he's done seems really wrong but—"

"Don't defend his actions, Fuyumi!" Natsuo snapped. "He deserves everything that comes to him!"

"Even when Touya tried to kill him?" Fuyumi asked, her brows pinched. "You were just as concerned as I was!"

Natsuo winced. "It's not like I want the bastard to _die!_ He just needs to be charged for the abuse he put us through!" he yelled. "Don't you remember what he did to Touya? To Mom? And what about Shouto, for crying out loud?!"

Aizawa watched as Todoroki hunched his shoulders and stared down at the floor. He looked ready to keel over, and Aizawa was wondering if the stress was making him ill again.

"That bastard beat him until he puked! He was just a kid!" Natsuo yelled. "He drove Mom insane, and he even admitted that he basically was the one who killed Touya!"

"He's definitely not dead," Aizawa interrupted. "He's alive. And now he's trying harder than ever to seek revenge."

"Exactly," Nezu said, his paws behind his back. "That's why you guys are here. You will live here in the dorms until we can secure the villain."

Natsuo and Fuyumi looked at him in shock, and Natsuo leaned forward in his seat to look at Nezu.

"But… this is our _brother,"_ Natsuo said. "He defended us time and time again! There's no way he would try to hurt us!"

"That's not necessarily true," Aizawa said with a shake of his head.

He glanced down at Todoroki, who sat at his side, looking miserable, and he gently placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. He flinched at first and then immediately relaxed, letting Aizawa squeeze his shoulder.

"Touya attacked and severely injured your brother a few nights ago," Aizawa explained, looking back at the two siblings.

Both of them jolted at the news, and their faces twisted in horror.

"W-What?" Fuyumi said, looking to her youngest brother.

"Wh-Why weren't we told about this?" Natsuo asked, also looking to his younger brother in shock.

Todoroki refused to look up at them, however, and he kept his head down. He looked like he had almost separated himself from the conversation entirely.

Aizawa squeezed his shoulder again, and Todoroki blinked away the glaze that had overtaken his eyes. He straightened his back and looked at his siblings, his hands resting in his lap.

"It's true," Todoroki said. "We got into a fight. And he told me who he was, so…"

Fuyumi had tears in her eyes, her hands reaching up to wipe them as they fell underneath her glasses.

"This can't be happening," she whimpered.

Todoroki's brows upturned a bit, his eyes narrowing sympathetically.

"Fuyumi…" he whispered.

"It's not possible," Natsuo said, hunching forward and rubbing his forehead. "Touya, he… he couldn't have hurt Sho. He loved him. He loved _us."_

Aizawa sat up straighter, feeling more determined.

"It's time to face reality," Aizawa said. "We are keeping you two here until we can get further information."

The two other Todoroki siblings glanced at each wearily before looking down at their laps. They looked utterly defeated, their shoulders hunching in on themselves.

This was such a mess.

Fuyumi sniffled, wiping her eye. "What about our jobs?"

Natsuo nodded. "And school."

"You'll receive escorts to and from your college and workplace," Nezu explained. "Don't worry. You will be very safe."

The two of them looked a little put off by the idea of having people following them everywhere, but they agreed nonetheless. They didn't really have a choice anyway.

"What about Mom?"

Todoroki finally spoke up after a long time of being silent. His siblings looked down at him and then back at Aizawa, both wearing looks of concern on their faces.

"She's being transported to a more secure hospital as we speak," Nezu said.

Todoroki's body went rigid underneath Aizawa's palm. He lifted his head and looked at him with wide eyes.

"Wait. If you moved her, doesn't that mean—"

Suddenly, the front door to the dormitories swung open, and flames could be seen rising to the ceiling. In all of his flaming glory, Endeavor walked through the doorway, a furious look on his face.

Aizawa stood to his feet and subconsciously took a step in front of Todoroki. His hand automatically went up to grab his capture weapon, being fully prepared for any battle that may ensue.

"Ah, Endeavor! Hold up!"

Present Mic came running in after him, bowing over and grabbing his thighs to catch his breath.

"Geez, you move fast! Can't ya just wait for me?" Present Mic said.

Endeavor ignored him, and instead looked right at Aizawa. Then, his eyes moved over to see Natsuo and Fuyumi sitting on the couches.

"Aizawa," he said in his low voice, moving back to stare at him. Endeavor's expression was unreadable. He wasn't sporting the usual harshness that he normally would carry. Instead, he looked only a bit flustered and maybe a tad… concerned?

"I got a call saying that my wife is being moved without my permission," Endeavor said. "But now, I come and find all of my children gathered at UA. What is going on here?"

Aizawa lowered his hand from his capture weapon. He looked at Nezu, who was standing with a pleasant smile on his face with hard eyes.

"There's been a situation," Nezu answered, moving a few steps up towards the fiery man. "We should probably discuss this in private, though. It's a little sensitive, and the school day is about to end, so the students will be returning soon."

Endeavor looked uncertain, his eyes moving to look at his children. When Aizawa followed his gaze, he noticed the tears still on Fuyumi's cheeks, along with the pained expression on Natsuo's. And of course, Todoroki was still out of it, his fever still coursing through his body. He could even see some steam coming from his left side, which concerned Aizawa more.

The stress was getting to be too much again.

"I'll take the Todoroki's up to their rooms," Aizawa offered, moving to touch Todoroki's warm shoulders.

Endeavor frowned. "I want to know what's wrong here. They're upset."

Natsuo was all harsh lines and frowns at his comment, turning his face away to wince.

"You're nearly 25 years too late to start caring about us now, old man," Natsuo said. It was meant to be biting, but his delivery was weak.

Aizawa sighed and slowly pulled Todoroki up from his spot on the couch, the boy wobbling slightly as he got on his feet. Fuyumi and Natsuo also stood, only sparing their father a brief glance before following Aizawa towards the staircase.

"If you'll follow me this way, Endeavor," Nezu said, guiding him out of the dormitories.

Aizawa could feel Endeavor's gaze on them the entire way to the stares, and it only left when they ascended the stairs. He breathed out quietly through his nose and then glanced at the three Todoroki siblings, each one sporting a different variation of stress on their faces.

He had to do something that would make them calm.

"We have a few vacant spaces on the floor underneath your brother's room," Aizawa explained to the two older siblings. "We'll send people to go and pick up your valuables from your homes. We just need a list of what you want."

Natsuo and Fuyumi shared a look, one that only siblings could communicate with each other. Aizawa quirked a brow but said nothing, and he stopped in front of the door vacant rooms.

"You guys can decorate it any way you want. Just don't damage the place," Aizawa said.

Natsuo's lips twisted. "How long will we have to stay here?"

Aizawa removed his hand from Todoroki's shoulder and then folded his arms across his chest.

"Well, until we can locate Dabi, then you're stuck here," Aizawa said. "Sorry. I know it's not the most comfortable."

Fuyumi shook her head. "No. You're just trying to protect us." She smiled softly at him and bowed her head slightly. "So thank you. We are in your care."

"Yeah. We really appreciate everything you've done for us," Natsuo said. "And thanks for taking care of our little bro. We… We never know how he's doing, so…"

He said it with such guilt that it even made Aizawa's heart twist up. He nodded and handed them spare keys to the rooms.

"We'll talk more tomorrow. Feel free to use the kitchen for dinner," Aizawa said. He glanced down at Todoroki, who was still swaying on his feet from his fever. "All right, kid. Let's get you back upstairs."

Todoroki frowned and hesitated, his eyes going back to his siblings. They looked at him with worried expressions for just a moment before Aizawa whisked him away, pulling him back down the hall and to the stairs.

They were fairly quiet as they ascended the stairs, Todoroki's and Aizawa's footsteps the only sound echoing in the stairwell. Aizawa thought of what comforting words he could offer the boy, but nothing seemed right. They both knew how strained everything was at the moment.

Just as Aizawa was about to let him rest in his room, he heard frantic footsteps pounding down the hallway.

"T-Todoroki!"

Midoriya was quick to run up to Todoroki's side and put a hand on his arm, looking up at his friend with concern in his eyes.

"Hey, are you okay?" Midoriya asked, brows furrowed.

"Uh," Todoroki said, rather eloquently. It would be humorous if Aizawa hadn't known that the boy was overwhelmed.

Midoriya's lips turned upward in a brittle smile. "It's okay. I saw your dad downstairs, so… I kind of figured it wouldn't be pretty." He held up a school bag."I grabbed your bag for you."

Todoroki nodded, taking the bag from him. "Thanks."

"Yeah, no problem." Midoriya looked at Aizawa, biting his lip. "Can I stay with him for a bit? I'll go back at curfew."

Aizawa didn't really care anymore at this point. Todoroki needed emotional support that Aizawa didn't have time to do, but if Midoriya was the one to provide it, he wouldn't get in his way.

"Do what you want," Aizawa said, turning away and heading down the hall. "Just don't disturb the others."

"Y-Yes, sir!"

Aizawa heard Midoriya's signature squeak as he headed back down the stairs towards the common room. Midoriya was overbearing, but he knew Todoroki was in good hands, at least.

As Aizawa passed by the boisterous, yet concerned Enji on his way out of the dorms, he pulled out his phone. He couldn't completely relax yet. He still had a criminal to find.

* * *

The next week passed without any sightings of the mysterious villain Dabi.

It was frustrating, but Aizawa figured he had to keep his cool and let the pros handle it as best as they could.

Endeavor, of course, had been breathing down their necks ever since he learned of the whole ordeal. But his approach was humbler instead of filled with rage as Aizawa had expected.

Both Aizawa and Nezu had feared that when they relayed the information about Dabi's true identity, Endeavor would completely lose his mind. But instead, he was quiet for a long time. After he had processed things over, he nodded in understanding and asked that UA keep his other children safe.

Then, he left without another word.

That was a week ago, and now that Endeavor has had time to grieve, he's bounced back to his semi-usual self—sending text after text to Aizawa and other teachers about Todoroki and his siblings' wellbeing since his own children seem to ignore him. It was getting rather annoying, but Aizawa could sympathize.

But that wasn't what frustrated Aizawa most.

What frustrated him most was that no one seemed to know where Dabi had run off. It was as if he had disappeared from this world completely. No traces or signs from the villain at all, and not even from other villains that heroes tracked down to interrogate.

It was infuriating, and it had given Aizawa a dull migraine the entire week. Present Mic had told him that his lack of sleep was doing more harm than good, but he was used to that anyway.

He just wanted to catch the bastard.

Luckily, the one positive thing about it all is that Todoroki seemed better than he had before.

Having his siblings around really seemed to change his attitude. At school, when he wasn't studying or training, he was interacting with his other classmates more. Outside of classes, Midoriya clung to his side, and then, in the evenings, the three Todoroki siblings would enjoy each other's company.

There was still tension hanging in the air, but it wasn't nearly as thick as it had been a week ago, and Aizawa was thankful for that.

When Friday finally showed up, Aizawa packed up his things at his desk and huffed out a long sigh. He wanted to rest, but he knew that his job would keep him awake at godawful hours.

He packed up his bag and left the teacher's lounge, ready to head home, but he was surprised to see a familiar flash of red and white.

"Todoroki?" Aizawa called, quirking a brow.

The boy was leaning against the opposite wall with his hands in his uniform pockets, his expression soft but unreadable. When Aizawa called his name, he pushed himself off of the wall and pulled his hands from his pockets.

"Sensei," Todoroki said in lieu of a greeting.

"What are you doing here? I thought you all had training with Cementoss today," Aizawa said, shutting the teacher's lounge door shut.

Todoroki nodded. "Yeah. He finished early today."

Aizawa shrugged his bag higher onto his shoulder.

"Great. Then have a good weekend," Aizawa said, his mind already thinking about other things.

"Um, Sensei!" Todoroki called, taking a step forward to stop him. Aizawa turned to look at him, and the boy paused for a moment, a slight crease in his brow. "I was hoping... that you could help me with something."

Now _that_ got Aizawa's attention.

"What is it?" he asked. His mind immediately thought of the worst: Dabi, Todoroki's nightmares, or his fever returning, his siblings unhappy being cooped up in this prison-like situation.

Todoroki reached up and rubbed the back of his neck, averting his eyes briefly.

"I was wondering if you could allow visitation for me and my siblings," Todoroki said. "For our mother."

Aizawa blinked at him. "Yeah. I can do that," he said. "I'll have to go with you, though."

Todoroki hesitated for a moment. "Does that... inconvenience you?"

Aizawa's eyes widened a fraction. "What? Of course not," he answered. "You could've asked me before today, you know."

"Oh," Todoroki said after a moment. "Right. Sorry."

Aizawa bit back a grimace. Something in his chest squeezed at the sight. He wondered if Todoroki had been longing to go and see her this past week, but hadn't dared to ask until now.

Aizawa took a deep breath through his nose. The last thing he wanted to hear was more apologies.

"Go get your siblings and meet me in the lobby of your dorm. We'll go this afternoon," Aizawa said.

Todoroki perked up. "We're going today?"

Aizawa rolled his eyes and started to walk down the hall. "Did I stutter? Get a move on, kid."

"Yes, sir."

Todoroki hurried off in the opposite direction, taking his phone out as he went. Aizawa could hear him speaking into the phone, his words coming in a little faster than usual, and it made Aizawa smile.

A break from Dabi hunting could be good for his psyche.

* * *

Right before dinnertime, Aizawa met up with the Todoroki siblings just inside the dorm and led them off of the UA campus. He kept his eyes open for anything weird, but the sun was still up, and light stretched throughout the city.

It should be mostly safe. But Aizawa had the numbers to the local heroes. Just in case.

"Is the new place nice?" Natsuo asked as they walked down the street quietly.

"I'm not sure. I haven't been able to contact her at all," Fuyumi said.

Todoroki looked down at his feet. "I don't know the address anymore, so I can't send any letters."

Aizawa quirked a brow. He sent her letters?

There was so much more to this than he had ever imagined.

"Her new place is very nice. And it's up higher than her last room," Aizawa said.

Fuyumi pressed a hand to her cheek. "I wish she could move out of the hospital completely. She's been doing so well lately. I don't see why she can't be released, yet."

"Tch. It's probably because our old man won't let her go," Natsuo snarled.

"Natsuo," Fuyumi whispered harshly, her voice a little harsh.

"What? It's true! He put her in there!" Natsuo argued.

"Well, yes, but… he wasn't the one who hurt Shouto," Fuyumi said softly, but it wasn't soft enough for Aizawa to miss.

His steps stuttered as he saw Todoroki lift up his hand to touch the reddened scar on his cheek.

Aizawa's chest went cold as his brain made the horrifying connection. His hands curled into frustrated fists.

These kids didn't deserve such pain in their lives.

There was so much he wanted to say. He wanted to call Endeavor and threaten him, asking to meet him out in the middle of nowhere so he could truly mess him up. Render him defenseless and treat him like he treated his poor family.

He wanted to tell these kids that they'd done nothing wrong. That nothing was their fault and that they should be proud of how they turned out, despite their crappy circumstances.

But, all that came out was, "We're almost there."

He nearly cursed himself for his cowardice, but he quickly reminded himself that he was keeping his cool.

Another block of walking and Aizawa checking the perimeter, they arrived at a top-notch facility. Guards were even posted by the doors.

It was a high-security hospital that was typically reserved for heroes, but thanks to Endeavor's status, he was able to get his wife a room there. It was a decent place—one that Aizawa himself had stayed in when he was seriously injured before.

"She's up on the 8th floor," Aizawa said as they walked inside and headed straight for the elevator. "But don't get any funny ideas about coming here on your own. You still need a hero's clearance to enter here."

Their faces immediately dropped at his words, but none of them protested. They all understood the severity of the situation. But Aizawa didn't blame them for feeling depressed.

Once the elevator rang at the correct floor, they all piled out and headed down the hall to room 821.

Aizawa raised his hand, ready to knock and make his presence known when a shaky voice rang out from the inside.

"N-No, it c-can't be! Stay back!"

"What the—?!" Natsuo gasped.

"That sounded like Mom!" Fuyumi said, her voice quivering.

Aizawa went into autopilot.

He tore his capture weapon from his neck and burst open the door, his hair already beginning to stand up.

Inside, Todoroki Rei was standing against the wall of her new room.

And Dabi stood in front of her with his hand outstretched towards her.

"Leave her alone!" Todoroki suddenly shouted, slamming down his right foot. It launched a wall of ice that separated Dabi from their mother.

"Ack—Todoroki!" Aizawa shouted, the force of the boy's ice, causing him to blink.

Dabi clicked his tongue and raised his hand, immediately launching a blue fireball towards them.

Todoroki, thinking quickly, raised another wall of ice to protect everyone, and Aizawa was able to catch a glimpse of the look on his face. It was a look that he hadn't seen on Todoroki's face before.

Rage.

"Get back!" Todoroki yelled, igniting his left arm in bright orange flames.

Aizawa stepped forward and threw out his capture weapon towards Dabi, who swiftly dodged it and then turned towards the window of the room. He ran and leaped into the air, crashing through the glass shoulder-first.

Todoroki grabbed his mother and pulled her down to the ground, raising another wall of ice to shield them from the shards of glass that flew everywhere.

"Damn it," Aizawa cursed, hurrying to the window.

He was about to climb out there himself, but when he looked over the edge, there were no signs of Dabi anywhere.

His brows scrunched up together as his eyes darted back and forth, desperately looking for the stapled villain.

But he was gone. Vanished without a trace yet again.

"Ah… Damn," Aizawa cursed, clicking his tongue. He sat back and rubbed his face, taking a few moments to calm his beating heart.

"Mom!"

As if he had been pulled back to reality, he turned towards the mess in the room.

The three Todoroki siblings were all huddled on the floor next to their mother, who was shaking like a leaf, but otherwise looked unharmed.

Aizawa sighed and walked over to them, putting his scarf back around his neck.

"He got away again," he explained.

Todoroki's face twisted in frustration. "What do we do now?"

Aizawa watched as the rest of this broken family turned to look at him with wide, fearful eyes. It was such a mess that Aizawa wasn't even sure what seemed right anymore.

But he knew one thing.

"Looks like we need to find a different safe house for your mother," Aizawa said.

He knelt down to look eye-to-eye with Todoroki Rei, who, even in her plain pajamas, was stunningly beautiful. He could easily see the resemblance in his student and his siblings.

"Hello, Mrs. Todoroki. I'm Aizawa. Your son's teacher," Aizawa introduced.

Todoroki Rei perked up a bit at the name, and she pointed at him. "You're… Eraserhead?"

Aizawa nodded once. He wondered if Todoroki had mentioned him in his letters.

"We have… a lot to discuss, but I don't feel like here is the best place for you to be anymore," Aizawa said.

Rei's brows pinched slightly as she frowned. "Is that man the reason why? The reason why I was moved here?"

"Yes. But it seems that this place is no longer the safest option for you," Aizawa said. "We'll need to move you again. Do you think you can handle that?"

Rei looked to her children, who were all still huddled close and gazing at her with apprehension in their eyes. She looked at Aizawa again and nodded.

"That would be… fine," she said slowly. "But… I have to know what's going on here. Who was that man?"

"Mom…" Fuyumi whispered.

"M-Maybe we shouldn't talk about this now," Natsuo said.

"No," Todoroki said, cutting in. "She has the right to know."

"Don't you understand how bad of a decision that is right now? This is not something that can be treated so lightly!" Natsuo argued back.

"We're not," Todoroki argued back. "We're just telling the truth."

"But the truth is painful, Sho! I don't want anyone else getting hurt here!"

Aizawa sighed and put a hand on each of the boys' shoulders. "Enough."

The two boys stopped, looking at Aizawa with parted lips and knitted brows.

"We will tell her everything that she wants to know," Aizawa said. "But first, we need to get her out of here. Got it?"

The three siblings paused to exchange wary glances with each other, but they quickly nodded in agreement.

"Good," Aizawa said. He held out his hand to Rei. "Let's get out of here."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

* * *

Aizawa escorted the Todoroki family back to UA, where they were led to the private infirmary wing. Everyone was shaken up, and even Aizawa found himself to be on edge with every step he took. He even texted Hizashi to let him know what had happened, and he usually never texted first.

His thumb was trembling so badly that he could hardly press the characters on his screen.

Once they made it past security, they all silently crossed the threshold into a private room in the infirmary wing.

Natsuo kept his hands on his mother's shoulders and guided her to sit down in a chair next to the bed. Fuyumi was close behind, grabbing a blanket and draping it over her mother's lap. The youngest Todoroki boy straggled behind, seeming to be in a daze.

Aizawa decided to focus on Rei, who was sitting in the chair rather calmly. Her hysteria died down so quickly, leaving her looking more contemplative than afraid.

"All right," Aizawa said, drawing their eyes to him. He looked at Rei first, who was staring back with wide eyes. "I know this will be hard to talk about. But I'd like to know more information on what happened, Ms. Rei."

He chose to call her that on a whim, thinking that maybe calling her by her last name might be a bit traumatizing to her. And if she was offended by it, she didn't show it on her face.

"Okay. I'll do whatever I can to help," Rei answered.

Aizawa nodded. "Good. Now, can you tell me how Dabi got into your room at the hospital?"

That was one of the thousands of questions that were running through Aizawa's mind, but he felt that he should try to conquer this first.

Rei put a hand to her chin, a crease forming in her brows. "He… kind of just… appeared."

Aizawa quirked a brow. "You mean, like he materialized? Just popped in out of thin air?"

Rei shook her head. "No, it was more like… there was smoke, and then he just came through it."

Aizawa folded his arms across his chest. "Sounds like he's got a buddy helping him out."

"I just don't understand," Fuyumi said. "Why is he trying to hurt us?"

Natsuo rubbed the back of his neck. "Especially Mom. She doesn't deserve any kind of punishment!" He lowered his gaze to the ground, eyes narrowing. "If anything, it's that bastard who deserves all this pain."

The room fell silent for a moment, the tension thick in the air. Aizawa was ready to just call it a night, let the kids get back to their rooms for a rest, but Rei suddenly sat up straight in her chair and looked at Aizawa with a soft expression.

"He… wasn't trying to hurt me," she said.

Aizawa's eyes widened a bit, and her children around her looked at her strangely.

"What?" Fuyumi said.

"What do you mean, _he wasn't trying to hurt you_, Mom?!" Natsuo asked, frantic. "He's a _villain!_ And he was in your _room!"_

Rei patted Natsuo's forearm gently, calming him instantly without taking her eyes off of Aizawa.

"Now that I think about it, he wasn't using his quirk in that room at all," Rei said. "He was just telling me who he was, and… he was asking for forgiveness."

The youngest Todoroki looked up at that, his brows slightly creased.

"He asked for forgiveness?" Fuyumi echoed.

Rei nodded. "Yes. He... said that he was sorry for what he had become, and what he was going to do."

"Did he say what he was going to do?" Aizawa asked.

Rei frowned, looking down at her lap. "No. I'm afraid I panicked too much before he was able to say his plans. I didn't believe him when he…" She lifted her hand to her mouth as her eyes glistened. "Was that... really Touya?"

The question put frowns on all of the siblings' faces. Fuyumi stepped up and put a hand on her mother's shoulder, squeezing it lightly.

Aizawa sighed, his hand rubbing away the aches on the back of his neck. Handling emotional issues like this was tough. He was never as good at it as his other classmates when he was at UA, and he still found this difficult even today.

But the difference between then and now was that he wasn't a 15-year-old anymore.

"Unfortunately, it was," Aizawa said. Rei looked up at him with watery eyes, a tear or two slipping down her cheeks. "I know it's hard to hear and talk about, but if you could give us any insight into what could have caused him to be this way… it would be really helpful."

Rei suddenly paled, her eyes darting to her youngest, who flinched in the corner. Aizawa followed her gaze to look at him, and the boy shrunk in on himself. Aizawa sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Nevermind. I think I get the picture," Aizawa said, his frustration growing. He dropped his hand from his face. "Was there anything else you could tell me about the incident tonight, Ms. Rei?"

Rei wiped her face and put her hand to her chin once again, thinking it through.

"Nothing really. Just that he came, told me he was my son and asked for forgiveness," Rei said. She looked thoughtful. "Then, he just… told me goodbye."

Aizawa furrowed his brows and sighed. It wasn't the most helpful information in the world.

"I'm sorry," Rei apologized. "I wish I could tell you more, like where he went, but…" She choked on a sob and gripped her shirt near her heart. "S-Sorry, I just… I just c-can't…"

"Mom…" Natsuo whispered, reaching towards her and holding her arm.

Fuyumi was close behind, kneeling down in front of their mother and resting her hands on her mother's lap.

The scene turned into something a little more personal for Aizawa's tastes. He felt that he was intruding on something that he wasn't meant to see.

He turned around, his hand stuck in his pocket and digging out his phone, ready to call Hizashi to tell him about the night, but he stopped short. He was expecting to see Todoroki still in the room, but sometime during the end of their conversation, the boy had slipped out unnoticed.

Aizawa felt his heart flutter nervously. It wasn't beneath some of the UA students to take matters into their own hands—revenge, rescue… It was a mess. He certainly hoped that he hadn't gone rogue once again.

He hurried out of the room, ready to give chase, but he ended up skidding to a halt.

Todoroki was on the ground next to the door against the wall, his legs bent up towards his chest and his arms resting on his knees. His face was buried in the crook of his elbow, only his white and red hair poking out. He wasn't moving at all, except for his shoulders moving with his uneven, shallow breaths.

Aizawa sighed and shook his head. He had thought about contacting Endeavor to alert him of the situation, but he had a feeling that the man's presence would make everything exponentially worse.

"Hey. Todoroki," Aizawa called.

The boy flinched and curled up tighter in his ball, refusing to lift his head.

Aizawa lowered himself into a crouch in front of him, keeping his distance. He'd seen enough of Todoroki in recent weeks to know that his quirk was linked to his emotions.

"You okay, there?" Aizawa asked, trying to keep his voice down. He already knew the answer but he wasn't sure what else he could say.

Todoroki's fingers dug into his arms, his nails raking at the sleeves of his sweater. He remained silent, his head remaining hidden in his arms.

Aizawa sighed and shifted so that he sat next to Todoroki, leaning his head back against the wall and staring up at the white ceiling of the unoccupied hallway. Since this wing was so private, there wasn't much foot traffic. Aizawa was thankful for it.

He glanced at Todoroki out of the corner of his eye and saw that his fingers had wrenched in his sweater. He looked back up at the ceiling.

He took one deep breath and decided to speak.

"You know, I lived with my grandfather while at I was here at UA," Aizawa said, feeling a tightness in his chest. When Todoroki remained silent, he took it as his cue to keep going. "My parents weren't really gracious or kind. They were actually pretty abusive." He took a quick breath. "One night during my second year at UA, it was especially bad. So I ran out and went straight to my grandfather's house. He's the only family member who would listen to me. He was kind to me, and never laid a hand on me."

He tilted his head to see a gray eye peeking back at him through white hair. Todoroki had turned his head slightly to look at him, and even in the dark, Aizawa could see that the skin underneath his eye was red.

Well, at least he was paying attention. Dragging him up from whatever downward spiral he was heading into was his only goal right now.

"There were custody battles. My parents fought the school a lot, but luckily, the teachers stood up for me. And my grandfather made a case, too," Aizawa said. He rolled his shoulders and sighed. "But during those times, I was an absolute wreck."

Todoroki turned his head more, leaning his cheek on his arm to stare at his teacher. Aizawa could see both colors of his eyes now.

"I cut off my friendships for a while. Didn't even speak to Present Mic, and that was hard to do since he was always hard to lose," Aizawa said with a small smirk. Todoroki huffed out a small breath, and Aizawa smiled to himself. "It got to a point, though, where I was so cut off from everyone that I ended up completely alone."

Todoroki's eyes softened a bit, but his brows were tight. It seemed that Aizawa had maybe struck the right chords.

"It was like that for months, and I was so stressed about my family and life in general that I started failing classes," Aizawa said.

Todoroki lifted his head from his arms, eyes wide.

"You failed classes?" Todoroki asked, his voice a little weak.

Aizawa huffed. "It was a miracle I didn't get kicked out."

Todoroki's eyes widened, looking both stunned and confused at the same time.

Aizawa waved his hand in the air. "I didn't. Obviously," he said. He looked up at the ceiling and folded his arms across his chest. "But I almost did. The only thing that kept me from going over the edge was my grandfather's support."

He could remember it now—his grandfather forcing him to sit down in the living room and talk it out. It was the most grueling night of his life, but at the end of the conversation, Aizawa had felt more relaxed than he had in months.

That was also the year he picked out his hero name officially, and he finally spoke to Hizashi, letting the loud-mouthed young hero in.

"He gave me a stern talking to, of course, and he wasn't always kind about it," Aizawa said, turning to look at Todoroki, "but he was there for me when I needed it most. As are a lot of people here."

Todoroki's face pulled into a soft wince, and he turned to look down at the ground in between his knees.

"I don't want to involve my friends and family in this. It shouldn't be their burden," Todoroki said. "Touya only has an issue with my father, and now me, since I'm trying to be a hero. This shouldn't involve anyone else."

"I'm not letting you go through this alone," Aizawa said. "Stop acting like you have to shoulder this by yourself. Let others help."

Todoroki tensed, his shoulders rising and his fingers curling into shaking fists on his thighs. His eyes glistened even as his face contorted into frustration.

"But I… I should be strong enough to handle it on my own," Todoroki said, his voice thick and low. "I should've been able to stop him when he first attacked me. And I should be able to protect my own mother. I…"

Aizawa startled a little when he saw a tear slip down Todoroki's cheek. It was so unusual to see him emote in this fashion. He was so used to seeing Midoriya cry—it happened so often that Aizawa could never really tell what that disaster was feeling either. But this? This was so far left field from Todoroki's character that it left him reeling.

"Todoroki," Aizawa called softly, trying to get him to calm down.

But the boy pressed on, more tears slipping down his cheeks. "I'm not strong enough yet. But I should be. I should be able to take him down and protect the ones I love." He peeked up at Aizawa, his cheeks wet. "I'm not good enough."

Aizawa sighed and reached around Todoroki's shoulders, pulling him into an uncharacteristic side-hug. Todoroki stiffened at first, but relaxed when Aizawa began speaking.

"You're only 16 years old. It's expected that you won't be strong enough to battle strong villains yet," Aizawa said. "And this villain is different, and you know that. He was… raised in the same fashion you were, so of course, he's going to know how to beat you."

Todoroki's shoulders trembled slightly under Aizawa's palm, and he could see teardrops plopping on the kid's jeans.

"So get whatever shitty philosophy your father taught you out of your head," Aizawa said. "You're good enough as you are. And you will grow even stronger with age."

Todoroki's shoulders shook as he leaned more into Aizawa's hold. He buried his face on Aizawa's chest, and cried silently, tears slipping down his face without a sob or a cry.

"I should've been there for Touya when we were kids," Todoroki said weakly.

Aizawa sighed and squeezed Todoroki's shoulder. "Now you know that what you just said was absurd, right? You were _kids_," Aizawa said. "There wasn't anything you could've done for him."

A small whimper escaped Todoroki's mouth and he shivered, pressing his face more into Aizawa's shirt. It was supposed to have been a great day, but now, Aizawa was hearing sounds that should never come from a 16-year-old's mouth. Nothing that sounded so broken.

Aizawa held him closer and took a deep breath.

"Listen, Todoroki," Aizawa said softly. Todoroki sniffled quietly and kept his sobs down, indicating that he was trying to listen. "This information about your brother and—well, ultimately about your father, too—will come out to the public."

Todoroki tensed, his shoulders hitching up by his ears.

"If things escalate to a point where you... have no place to go," Aizawa said, hoping Todoroki would understand what he meant, "then you can always stay with me."

Todoroki's shoulders flinched slightly. There was a pause, and the hesitation made Aizawa feel like he might've said the wrong thing. He was about to retract his statement and amend it, but Todoroki nodded.

Aizawa released a breath and reached up to pat Todoroki's head.

Well. He supposed he should prepare his spare bedroom. Just in case.

* * *

A few days later, after things had calmed, Aizawa decided to bring the current issue to the rest of the staff, and he included the local police chief in on the briefings. It was hard and distressing to relay some of the information that Rei and her children had spoken to him about, but it needed to be done.

And with those words being said, the staff was appalled and disgusted, or some just heartbroken. All Might was silent the entire time, probably stewing in his own guilt from the whole thing.

Aizawa just let him be. He didn't want to make it any more difficult than it already had to be, and comforting the man over this would be too much on his already overflowing plate.

After it was left in the police chief's hands, he recommended that Endeavor not be allowed to enter UA until further notice, which Aizawa immediately agreed upon. If he never had to hear the broken sobs from that 16-year-old again, he would be a happy camper.

"What about Dabi?" Ectoplasm asked quietly. "What are we going to do about him?"

Nezu stood on his chair. "We currently have the pros looking into it. Any information they can find will be directed back to us."

"Is Endeavor one of these pros?" Nemuri asked, her arms folded across her chest. Aizawa had never seen her look so unhappy.

Nezu's eyes narrowed slightly, but his smile did not fade. "He has elected to let other pros handle this case."

"Tch. Go figure," Hizashi grumbled.

"The pros are still looking for him," Aizawa said, trying to cover up his friend's obvious distaste for the number one hero. "But we might need to send out more scouts in the high-crime areas. There are some people who are getting… restless."

"Todoroki?" Cementoss asked.

Aizawa nodded. "He said he wouldn't go and find Dabi on his own, but…"

"Well, it's not the first time these kids have done something rash," Nemuri commented.

"I'm aware. That's what concerns me," Aizawa said as he pinched his nose.

"We will find him," Nezu said, giving Aizawa a reassuring look.

Aizawa nodded. "I hope so," he said. "Because I'm not sure how much longer that kid will wait."

* * *

A week had passed, and things seemed to settle down again. The students were knee-deep into their training and were about to go back into their internships.

Surprisingly, Todoroki, along with Midoriya and Bakugou, had chosen to intern with Endeavor, which shocked most of the staff. Aizawa had advised against it, but Todoroki said that working with the man would be his best shot at learning more about his own quirk. And Midoriya and Bakugou were up for the challenge of working with the current number one hero.

Aizawa reluctantly let it go, but he had a talk with Midoriya and Bakugou about keeping an eye on things while they were on their internship.

Things continued calmly for the next several weeks. Aizawa oversaw his class in regards to their internships, making sure they were on the right track. Things had been surprisingly quiet. There were a few injuries here and there from his students, but the pro heroes had, overall, taken good care of the kids.

It was peaceful for a while, and the entire situation had been put on hold. It had faded into the recesses of Aizawa's mind, long forgotten.

That is, until one day in March when two battered bodies came limping into the teacher's lounge.

"S-Sensei!"

Aizawa recognized the voice immediately, and he hurried over to the door to see Midoriya with Bakugou's arm thrown over his shoulders. They were both covered in minor burns and bleeding scabs, but what was more concerning was the protruding bone in Bakugou's leg.

"Shit," Aizawa said, quickly taking Bakugou from Midoriya's grasp. Nemuri and Toshinori were by their side, as well, and helped get Bakugou down on the ground. The boy was cursing up a storm, which gave Aizawa some relief. At least he hadn't completely lost it.

"Sensei! We… We have to help him!" Midoriya said through thick pants. He fell to his hands and knees and struggled to catch his breath.

Toshinori grabbed Midoriya's shoulders and guided him to sit against the wall. His face was contorted in pain, and his hand moved to grab at his shoulder where his costume had torn and bloodstains ran down the green sleeve.

"Help who?" Aizawa asked, looking down at the bone coming out of Bakugou's leg.

"For crying out loud! Isn't it freakin' obvious?!" Bakugou shouted. If it weren't for his leg, Aizawa was sure that he would be back in action. "That half 'n half bastard!"

Aizawa's heart did an involuntary leap.

"H-He's right," Midoriya said through gritted teeth. "We were attacked… by Dabi."

Aizawa's fists shook. "Why didn't you call for help?"

Midoriya frowned, gripping his shoulder. "We… couldn't call anyone. Our phone signals were… jammed, or something," Midoriya said, wincing. "I didn't know… where else to go where I thought we'd be… safe."

"You did well, Young Midoriya," Toshinori said, patting his shoulders.

Aizawa took in a deep breath and stood to his feet, his hands adjusting his capture weapon.

"Where are they?" he asked, lowering his goggles over his eyes.

Midoriya grimaced and pulled out his phone, the screen cracked and covered in grime. He pulled up a text that Endeavor had sent them earlier that day with the address and where to meet them.

"It's… an obscure hideout," Midoriya explained. "It's… just down the street from this."

Aizawa took the phone that was handed to him, giving Midoriya a nod. He looked to Nemuri, who was currently releasing some of her fumes to make the thrashing Bakugou pass out.

"Call the other heroes and tell them to meet here," he said, chucking the phone at Nemuri. She caught in one hand and nodded, her brow creased. "Are you going on your own?"

Aizawa moved to the door and flung it open. "He's my student. I have to be there to protect him."

"S-Sensei, please… hurry," Midoriya called. "E-Endeavor was attacked by a Nomu and passed out." He choked on a sob, his hands fisting his pants. "Todoroki's all by himself against Dabi."

Aizawa inhaled sharply through his nose and _booked it_.

He knew somewhat where the location was, so he hoped he could find it in time.

He took to the rooftops and ran along them, keeping his eyes towards the East. He squinted as he got closer to the address Midoriya showed him, frowning when he couldn't see any movement. It was dark, not a star in the cloudy sky to guide him. He would just have to judge it by feeling, or sound at this point—

Suddenly, a giant wave of blue fire rose into the air behind a building, followed by bright orange.

"Damn it," Aizawa mumbled to himself.

He threw out his scarf and swung down to the streets below, landing on his feet with a skid. He rushed forward, ready to swing around the corner, but he stopped short when he heard a muffled groan. He turned towards the sound, and his chest constricted when he saw Endeavor slumped against a damaged building, struggling to move and covered in debris.

He glanced down the to the corner of the street and then back to Endeavor, sighing to himself as he made the decision to hurry by his side. He only wanted to check to see if he was alive and then move on. While he was the number one hero, his priority was on his student that was fighting just around the corner.

He knelt down to Endeavor's side and moved a few bricks out of the way to feel his neck. The man's eyes were closed, but a pulse was there.

Aizawa found himself breathing a sigh in relief. He lurched back onto his feet and was about to take off again, but Endeavor's hand reached out to grab him by the sleeve. Aizawa glanced back at the fallen hero, his brows furrowed. He did not have _time_ for this.

"P-Protect Shouto," Endeavor said through gritted teeth, his blue eyes shining in the dark. "That villain… my other son… has grown stronger." He hissed in a breath. "Shouto is strong, but… I fear that he may be injured."

Aizawa swallowed. He didn't know how to process this.

His family members talked specifically about how overbearing he was as a father figure, and how he ignored most of the other siblings in the house and was downright abusive to Todoroki and Rei. But Fuyumi had mentioned something about him wanting to change.

Was this evidence of that change?

Endeavor let go of Aizawa's sleeve and let out a hiss as he adjusted underneath the rubble, his body too weak to do anything.

"Go. Shouto needs more help than me," he said softly.

Aizawa frowned underneath his capture weapon and sighed, pulling out his phone. He placed it in Endeavor's hand.

"Call for help. I'll be back when I can," Aizawa said.

And with that, he took off down the street and rounded the corner. Just as he made it past one building, a wave of blue rose up and nearly singed his hair.

He jumped back a few steps to avoid the blast, and _damn_ was it hot. Once the flames cleared, he glanced up to see a tall figure slowly approaching his student, who he had cornered at a dead end.

Todoroki looked to be covered in bruises and burns, his right arm hanging oddly limp by his bloodied side. It must've been broken during the scuffle, rendering his ice attacks from his arm useless.

"You really think you can beat me, little brother?" Dabi sneered, his hands alit with blue flames.

Aizawa grabbed at his capture weapon, his heart pounding in his chest.

He had to stop this before any more carnage could happen to this family.

_"__I should've been there for Touya when we were kids."_

No, Aizawa thought. By the time your quirk came in, it was too late.

The villain in Touya had already been born.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

* * *

Aizawa hurried as fast as he could to catch up with the two brothers as they battled it out with each other down the empty streets. He could only catch glimpses here and there of the battle as he turned the corner, but as soon as he would pull his capture weapon to pull himself faster, they would disappear down another street.

"Damn it," Aizawa muttered, trying to catch up as quickly as possible. There was no telling what kind of damage Dabi could do. And since it seemed that his mental state was far beyond stable, Aizawa had to believe that he would be willing to kill Todoroki.

He decided to pull himself up to the rooftops, trying to get a better angle on the two. He felt uneasy about seeing more of the blue flames rising into the air in between the buildings. That meant that Todoroki was probably slowing down.

He had to hurry.

Aizawa threw his capture weapon as far as it could reach and flung himself forward, swinging down to the street right near where the blue flames had crawled towards the sky. He ran and turned another corner, just in time to see a wall of ice climbing into the air.

Todoroki was on the other side of the ice wall, huffing and puffing as if each breath was physically draining him. He was also covered in welts and burns, his hero's costume nearly torn to pieces.

"You're still going to act like that old man, huh?" Dabi taunted. "Going to act all high and mighty now?!"

He sent another blast of blue fire towards Todoroki, the boy barely dodging it as he leaped and fell to the ground on his side. He scrambled to get up from the ground and tried to counterattack, but Dabi was faster, punching out blue flames every chance he got. All Todoroki could do was put up ice walls to try to hold Dabi off for as long as possible.

Aizawa grit his teeth and pulled out his capture weapon, his hair starting to rise, but suddenly, he was slammed in the side and was sent flying a few feet away. He stuttered on his feet a bit, managing to catch himself before he went tumbling. He glanced up to see a half-beaten Nomu staggering nearby.

The Nomu was slender, missing half of its face and an arm. Its other arm was sharp as a razor blade.

"I guess Endeavor forgot to finish you off," Aizawa mumbled, pulling out his capture weapon.

The Nomu hissed and hobbled, reaching back to take a swing at Aizawa with its sharp claw. Aizawa jumped backward and threw his scarf forward, the material wrapping around its neck.

It wriggled in Aizawa's grasp and tried to pull itself free, but Aizawa used that to launch himself in the air, kicking the creature back and making it fall. It bounced back a few steps before scrambling up to his feet, hissing and making a retching noise.

Damn it, Aizawa thought. He really did not have time to be dealing with this thing.

Just hang on a bit longer, Todoroki.

He jumped forward and reared back his fist, hitting the creature back. The Nomu stumbled and swiped around its sharp hand, slicing Aizawa's arm.

Aizawa let out a frustrated grunt and gripped the wound on his arm. When he pulled his hand back, it came back red.

Damn it! Aizawa thought, peering at the monster through his goggles. This thing just wouldn't let up, even when it was on the brink of death.

He had to come up with something.

"Well?! You have an answer for me, you brat?!"

Aizawa glanced over his shoulder to see Dabi sending out a large blast of fire that shoved Todoroki onto his back. It knocked the wind out of him and he struggled to get up.

Aizawa's heart gave a painful lurch. He had to come up with something and _fast._

He quickly glanced around, looking for anything that could just end this little match as quickly as possible.

Then, his eyes glanced over a collapsed telephone pole, the wires sparking and crackling on the ground.

Aizawa took a deep breath, eyeing the pathway to get there.

He could do it, but he would only have one shot at it. He had to time it just right, or he would end up impaled before he even got to Todoroki.

Well, here went nothing.

He planted his right foot back and knelt down slightly, getting himself ready to jump. He waited as the Nomu got closer, its knifelike hand swiping left and right, its sharp point nearly grazing Aizawa's cheek.

He sucked in a sharp breath as he threw his scarf at the monster and wrapped it around its arm. Then, he ran forward and flung the creature right into the telephone pole, the sparks immediately zapping the creature and frying it to a crisp.

It writhed about, its arms flinging dirt up in the air. Some of it hitting Aizawa right in the face, causing dirt particles to get into his already-irritated eyes. He winced and closed his eyes, still using his capture weapon to keep the monster down on the pole.

Aizawa stood huffing and puffing and watched as it finally stopped moving about, its motionless body slumping against the cold pavement. He sighed and held his open wound on his arm, feeling a bit dizzy from the adrenaline. His eyes still stung a bit, tears trickling from them to try to get the dirt out.

Shit, that hurt. Did the Nomu have poison in its system to make it hurt worse?

"Touya, please!"

"Don't call me that, you little shit!"

Aizawa whipped around, seeing more blue flames rising into the air just around the corner.

"Damn it," Aizawa muttered, and he took off into a sprint. Before he could get there, though, he heard a strangled cry followed by a thud. He skidded to a halt to see Todoroki on the ground, the shirt of his costume completely gone by this point.

"I'm n-nothing… like him," Todoroki wheezed. "I just… want peace. To protect people. To protect… my family."

Dabi smirked and marched over to him, raising his boot and kicking him hard in the stomach. Todoroki let out a strangled yelp as he flipped back a few feet, landing on his back. Dabi marched forward and stepped on his chest, making Todoroki gasp. He lifted his hand, allowing a small blue flame dance on his palm.

"Family? _Family?_ What _family?"_ He asked. He leaned over the kid and smiled maniacally. "It's far too late to go protecting your family now, kid."

He moved his hand back, the flame growing to four times its size. Todoroki could barely move, his hands only reaching up to try to pry his older brother's boot from his chest.

Dabi then pushed his hand down towards Todoroki's face.

Aizawa jumped into action, opening his eyes wide and canceling Dabi's quirk.

Dabi's hand came down and smacked Todoroki's chest without his signature flames. He sucked in a surprised breath and then turned around, seeing Aizawa barreling towards him.

Aizawa used his capture weapon to hurl it towards Dabi, but the villain easily dodged it, bounding out of the way. Aizawa hovered over Todoroki's battered body, keeping his eyes on Dabi from across the way. He knew that the second he would blink, then Dabi would strike. He had to come up with a way to get Todoroki out of here safely.

But he had to deal with Dabi first.

"Tch. What is with you always interfering?" Dabi scowled at Aizawa, flames enveloping his arms.

Aizawa blinked a few times to relax his eyes. "When you attack my students, things get personal real fast."

Dabi frowned and threw a blast of fire forward, the fireball heading right towards them.

Aizawa quickly knelt down to the struggling Todoroki and scooped him up in his arms. Then, he threw his capture weapon and swung them up into the air before the flames could consume them both. He continued to swing them around the buildings before landing on his feet and hurrying them to a dark alleyway.

He huffed and puffed, trying to catch his breath. He knew he couldn't handle Dabi by himself. He needed backup.

He sucked in a breath and struggled to tap at his communicator in his ear.

"Mic, you hear me?" Aizawa called. There was only a crackle in his ear in response. "Mic. Midnight. Anyone?"

Once again, there was no response.

Damn. The kids were right about the jammers interfering with cell calls. Hopefully, other heroes would be on the case soon. For now, they had to lay low before Dabi could find them.

"S-Sensei."

Aizawa glanced down at the student in his arms, and he was met with a pair of two-toned pain-laced eyes. And now that he got a better look at him, he noticed the burns on his chest and abdomen, and a gnarly gash that trailed from his shoulder down to his elbow.

"Shit," Aizawa cursed.

He gently laid Todoroki down on the ground, propping him up against the brick wall. He grabbed some bandages from his pack and pressed down on Todoroki's shoulder firmly to stop the bleeding. The boy winced and turned his head away, choosing to glare weakly at the ground.

"Th-There's a Nomu around," Todoroki warned. "It's weakened, but I… I don't think my father took it out all the way."

"I got it. It's dead," Aizawa said.

Todoroki squinted up at him. "Touya, he's… he's strong. I don't… I thought I could beat him." He frowned, his hand resting on a particularly bad burn on his stomach. "He's… risking his body to make his flames hotter. It's like he's just… trying to end himself."

Aizawa frowned. "When you're that desperate to end someone else, it can consume you. And I feel that Touya's built up so much hatred that he's completely lost who he is."

Todoroki closed his eyes and moved to stand, pushing himself against the wall to move his center of gravity over his wobbly legs.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" Aizawa asked, moving to push him back down.

Todoroki pushed his hand away. "Let me talk to him. Maybe I can get through to him."

"No way in hell," Aizawa said. "I'm taking you somewhere safe. Preferably a hospital."

"B-But Touya could kill himself at this rate," Todoroki said, hissing when his wound festered a bit.

"He's _going_ to kill _you_ if you don't leave right now," Aizawa said.

"But… what if I can convince him to come peaceably?" Todoroki asked, grabbing Aizawa's wrist. "He can have an insanity claim on him. F-For all the years of abuse."

Aizawa studied him. "What makes you think he'll listen to you now? He's crazed out of his mind."

"I-I can reason with him," Todoroki said, holding his side as he finally managed to push himself up. "Just cancel out his quirk long enough for me to talk to him."

"Absolutely not," Aizawa said. "We're waiting for backup to arrive. And that's final."

Todoroki frowned, his eyes squinting as tears filled them. His shoulders rose to his ears and he shrank in on himself.

"I don't want him to die," Todoroki said softly. "I know he's a villain. And I know he's… hurt so many people." His fists clenched on his scraped knees. "But he's still… my family."

Aizawa thought back to when the Nomu attacked Endeavor earlier in the year. He was there when Todoroki broke down from the relief he felt when he witnessed his father's victory. The boy had been concerned for him. Even after all of the shit that man had put him and his family through, Todoroki was still concerned for his father.

And this was no different. He was just a boy looking out for his brother.

"Todoroki, I understand that you care about him, but he has to be brought down. This isn't something you can fix just by speaking to him," Aizawa said.

Aizawa knelt down in front of Todoroki and fixed the bandage on his arm, pressing down lightly and making the boy hiss. He breathed deeply as he took in Todoroki's appearance, the conviction in the boy's eyes, and the utter defeat in his body.

Aizawa sighed and shook his head. He hoped he wouldn't regret this.

"Okay. How about this: You help me bring him in before the heroes get here," Aizawa said.

Todoroki looked up at him, eyes widening at the proposition. He opened his mouth to speak, his hand pressing against his burn on his stomach.

"I… I don't know if I can," he admitted softly.

Aizawa gently rested his hands on the boy's shoulders. "You _can,"_ he said. "And you won't be alone, remember?"

Todoroki swallowed, his mind mulling it over. Aizawa gave his shoulders a soft squeeze, acting as a reminder for the task at hand.

"Yo, little bro! Where the hell did you run off to, huh?"

Aizawa whipped his head up to see blue flashing just down the road. He glanced back at Todoroki, who was staring up at him with wide eyes.

"We're out of time. Make the decision," Aizawa said. "Either you help me out here, or the pros come and kill him."

Todoroki flinched at his bluntness, his face pulling into a slight wince. But then, he closed his eyes and took in a quick breath, his right hand forming ice to cool the burn on his stomach. He inhaled sharply as he pushed himself up.

Aizawa assisted him, keeping his hand under his arm to balance him. He wondered if Todoroki could even handle something like this. The boy could barely stand.

"I'll help," Todoroki said.

Aizawa took in a slow, shaky breath, his mind running at lightning speed as he tried to come up with a plan. He had to keep Todoroki here—there was no way he would let his student get in harm's way again. They needed to distract him.

"Ah, that's it," Aizawa said once his mind cleared.

Todoroki blinked at him. "What's it?"

"Hold on," Aizawa said, and he peeked around the corner of the alleyway to see Dabi marching down the road towards them. He ducked back in and faced Todoroki. "Okay, here's what we're going to do. You'll stay here while I go out there and lure him in."

Todoroki eyes widened. "What? You can't just leave me here!"

"Don't argue with me. We don't have time for this," Aizawa said, making Todoroki snap his mouth shut. "So, I'm going to get his attention and bring him this way. I'll try to get him to surrender peacefully, but if he doesn't, we're going to have to attack."

Todoroki frowned, but nodded, eyes looking towards the side. "What's the plan of attack, then? In case he doesn't come quietly."

"I'll cancel his quirk and run at him, and you use your ice to trap him," Aizawa said. "Can you still use your quirk?"

Todoroki held up his right hand and formed ice in the palm of his hand, nodding once he had control over it.

"Good. I don't want you moving about, so you'll stay hidden here," Aizawa said.

"But what if he attacks you sooner? I can't just let you do this alone," Todoroki said.

"Don't worry. I can handle it," Aizawa said. He glanced around the corner, seeing Dabi getting closer. "All right. He's coming this way. You ready?"

Todoroki nodded, ice forming along his arm as he pushed himself to stand straight.

Aizawa took a deep breath and stepped out of the alleyway, putting up his hands in a placative manner. Dabi was just down the street, looking in the other direction, but his gait was wound tight. He looked ready to explode at any minute. Aizawa had a bad feeling about this—perhaps they should have just fled.

Aizawa sighed. He hated how much he cared.

"Dabi," Aizawa called, getting the man's attention.

Dabi spun around, eyes wild as his gaze landed on Aizawa, and then he pulled his lips into a crazed smile.

"Ah, so there you are!" Dabi called. "You hidin' that brat with you, too?"

His hands lit up in blue flames, the wretched smell of burning flesh rising into the air. Todoroki had been right—Dabi was burning himself nearly to death.

"Leave this between us," Aizawa said calmly. "Let's talk this over first."

Dabi raised a brow. "Talk? Oh geez," he said. "Shouto's really gotten into your head, huh? I bet he's told you all about me."

The flames grew to burn along his already decaying arms, and he lifted them into the air, ready to strike.

"Not ready to talk, eh? Fine," Dabi said. "Then I guess I'll just get rid of you!"

Dabi moved his hand to fling it forward, but Aizawa was quicker. He blinked hard once and then opened up his eyes wide, his hair standing straight up. The flames immediately dissipated, making Dabi look down at his hand and curse.

"Now, Todoroki!" Aizawa yelled as he flung his capture weapon forward, wrapping it around Dabi's wrist.

Todoroki, from his hiding spot in the alleyway, pushed out his right hand, creating a path of ice that quickly climbed up Dabi's body and froze him from the neck down.

Dabi growled and sneered for a moment, his eyes whipping to look at his younger brother in the corner.

"You! I'll get you for this, you bastard!" Dabi yelled.

Todoroki said nothing, but out of the corner of his eye, Aizawa could see him slump against the bricks, utterly spent. Aizawa had to take care of this quickly so he could get the boy to the hospital.

"All right, listen up," Aizawa said, keeping his eyes open and locked. "Todoroki was convinced that you could surrender peaceably, so I'm giving you a chance to come quietly."

"Tch. What the hell does he know? He barely remembers me," Dabi said. "He knows nothing about me."

Aizawa lowered his brows. "But he still cares about you enough to want to keep you safe. He wants you to surrender yourself so you can get a less harsh sentence."

Dabi chuckled, and the sound was eerie. "Ha! A punishment is still a punishment, no matter how harsh." He spat on the ground in front of him, making Aizawa's eyebrow twitch. "My life has been full of punishments. Why should I expect anything less?"

Aizawa felt the urge to blink. He would have to try to knock him out somehow, perhaps giving him a quick hit on the back of the head. Stalling any longer could be catastrophic.

"Touya!"

Aizawa flinched, nearly blinking. He could hear shuffling next to him, and suddenly, Todoroki was by his side.

"Todoroki—" Aizawa tried to speak.

"Touya, please," Todoroki said, barreling on. "You don't really want it to end this way, do you?"

Dabi's expression changed into something dark. "That's not my name. Stop calling me that horrible name."

"I know that you want revenge, but it won't make you feel better!" Todoroki yelled. He grunted in pain and slouched slightly. "I tried getting my own revenge, but it only tasted bitter and I felt worse. But you can do things the right way. You can fix what's been broken, Touya!"

Dabi struggled against Todoroki's ice, obviously trying to summon his flames, but getting frustrated when he couldn't.

"Damn it, let me go!" Dabi shouted.

"Not until you've agreed to turn yourself in," Todoroki said. "If you don't, then the pro heroes will try to take you down."

"So what?" Dabi sneered. "I'm not concerned with it. I've already made my peace with it."

"_Have you?"_

Aizawa fidgeted in place at Todoroki's tone. This was getting similar to one of the fits that he has against authority. His tone was getting fierce and angry.

"What about Fuyumi? What about Natsuo?" Todoroki asked. "They miss you, Touya! Natsuo talks about you so much, and he hurts whenever he talks about you! And Fuyumi, she struggles to be the oldest! She needs her big brother!"

Dabi hardly showed any expression, but Aizawa could see a slight crack in his wild gaze. It was softer, more round, more Todoroki-like. Broken, sad, and lost.

Aizawa was starting to realize that Dabi—Touya—was still young. He might've been an adult now, but he was still just a kid.

"And what about Mom? She was crying a lot after you left that night!" Todoroki yelled, his voice becoming more and more strained. "She blames herself for what happened to you!"

Dabi's eyes flashed.

"So let us take you in! I promise I'll try to protect you, Touya!" Todoroki shouted. "I'll do what I can to make sure you can live a normal life! But you just have to _trust_ us, and you have to do the right thing—ugh!"

Todoroki inhaled sharply, his hand moving to his chest. He fell to his knees, but Aizawa couldn't take his eyes off of Dabi. He stood frozen on the spot, his chest seizing at the sound.

"Todoroki, talk to me," Aizawa said. "What's wrong?"

Todoroki let out a strangled breath. "It… hurts… Can't… breathe."

Aizawa cursed, his eyes moving to look down at Todoroki, who was crumpled on the ground with his hand to his chest. He knelt down to the boy and placed a hand on his bare shoulder, looking him over. He heard a hissing sound, but it wasn't coming from Todoroki.

That was when Aizawa knew he made a terrible mistake.

The ice was destroyed immediately, shards flying everywhere as blue flames rose into the air. Aizawa whipped his head back at Dabi, preparing his quirk again, but instead of having to defend themselves, he watched as Dabi stared at them for the briefest of moments before taking off in a sprint down the road. He was out of sight in an instant.

"Damn it," Aizawa mumbled, standing to his feet.

"S-Sen…sei," Todoroki mumbled.

Aizawa staggered and glanced back down at his student, who was still writhing on the ground in pain. He quickly fell back to his knees and lifted up Todoroki's head to get him off of the hard road.

"Take it easy," Aizawa said. "I'm going to get you to a hospital now, alright?"

"But… what about T-Touya?" Todoroki asked. He tried to push himself out of Aizawa's grasp, his narrowed gaze following the path that Dabi disappeared down. "We… have to go after him!"

"Not this time," Aizawa said. He hoisted Todoroki up and in his arms. The boy squeaked and hissed at the movement. "We tried things your way, and they didn't pan out. Now we're doing things my way."

Todoroki closed his eyes and sighed against Aizawa's chest, obviously in too much in pain to argue. Aizawa didn't question it. He just hurried the boy out of the area and towards the flashing red lights at the end of the street.

"I'm… sorry," Todoroki apologized softly before passing out in Aizawa's arms.

Aizawa wasn't sure why Todoroki was apologizing, but he decided not to look into it.

He was afraid of the answer Todoroki would give him.

* * *

Aizawa waited for what seemed like an eternity in the hospital lobby area.

He had been getting calls left and right from Present Mic and Toshinori about the whole thing, and the other pro heroes had been in touch with him, as well. That included Hawks, who seemed a bit peeved that Endeavor had been sucked into the situation.

Aizawa tried to ignore most of them, choosing instead to spend his time getting coffee or sleeping in the corner when he could. He would definitely have to talk to the police chief about this later, but for right now, he had a student in the emergency room. He wasn't leaving this spot until he found out more details about him.

One sunrise and three cups of coffee later, a nurse gently tapped his shoulder to wake him.

"Aizawa-san?" she said. "Todoroki-san is in recovery now. You can go see him."

Aizawa groaned and rubbed his tired eyes as he stood up from the floor, feeling every aching bone in his body protesting. Man, getting old sucked.

He sighed as he followed the nurse up to the private rooms, and where Todoroki was tucked away in a room at the end of the hall. He bowed to the nurse politely and then walked inside.

To his very surprise, Todoroki was awake, but it seemed that he just woke up not even a few minutes ago. His eyelids were heavy over his eyes, and his broken body was covered in bandages. No casts, luckily, so it all must've been external damage.

"Sensei," Todoroki greeted, his voice sounding like gravel. He tried to sit up, but Aizawa put up a hand.

"Don't bother," Aizawa said. He walked over to Todoroki's bedside and filled up a cup of water with the pitcher left on the end table. He handed it to Todoroki, who took it with trembling hands.

"Th-Thank you," Todoroki said after a drink. His voice sounded much better.

"Yeah," Aizawa hummed, taking the glass from him.

He grabbed a chair and plopped down in it next to Todoroki's bed, frowning sleepily at him. Todoroki frowned at him, too, before he looked away.

"Touya's gone, isn't he?" Todoroki asked.

"He wouldn't surrender, and I couldn't grab him in time," Aizawa said. "Sorry, kid."

Todoroki shook his head and closed his eyes. "I should be the one apologizing. If I had just stuck with your plan, then none of this would've happened."

Aizawa waved his hand in the air, too tired to argue with him now. "Whatever. We tried. It was a noble attempt."

Todoroki didn't quite seem like arguing, either, so he stayed silent for a moment. He fiddled with the blanket and looked out the window.

"Is… my father okay?" Todoroki asked.

Aizawa sat up a little. "I believe so. He's also in recovery."

"And Midoriya and Bakugou?"

"Both are fine and back to their usual annoying selves."

The tension bled out of Todoroki's shoulders instantly, allowing him to slump into the pillows with a huff, ice crystals coming out of his mouth.

"Okay," Todoroki said. "I'm glad they're okay."

Aizawa nodded. "Yeah. You kids did good work out there with your father," he said. "Nice work."

Todoroki stayed quiet, seeming unsure how to process the compliment. Which really still peeved Aizawa, and he didn't think he would get over it any time soon. Aizawa took in a deep breath and sat up.

"We've got some people still looking for Dabi, er… Touya," Aizawa said, trying to remain respectful. "I haven't gotten any word, yet, but I'm sure he'll turn up."

Todoroki frowned. "I really thought… I could talk some sense into him." He gripped the blankets in his fists. "But I guess… he's still so full of hatred about what happened that he can't move on."

Aizawa hesitated for a minute, thinking about how he should approach this. He knew from experience just how nasty domestic problems could get, so he understood the severity of the situation.

"Everyone deals with these things differently," Aizawa decided on, pulling Todoroki's thoughts away from the clouds. "Each of you reacted to Endeavor's abuse in different ways.

"Fuyumi, for example, seems to be the sweet one who wants everyone to make amends. She seems to be the one keeping the family together. Natsuo looks to be bitter, but he's got too much good in his heart to act on it," Aizawa said. He paused for a moment and then shrugged. "Or he's in love. He wouldn't shut up about his girlfriend the other day."

That made Todoroki smile a little, small and fond. Aizawa took that as a small victory.

"Your mother… well, she descended into insanity," Aizawa said. Todoroki stared vacantly down at his lap, not needing to add anything to it.

"Then, there was you and Touya," Aizawa said. He pointed to Todoroki. "You were trying to best him to show him that you could be better on your own terms. Not a bad plan, really, but it was done out of your own bitterness in your heart."

Todoroki looked at him, his eyes reflecting pain.

Aizawa knew better now, though. That bitterness disappeared after the sports festival. If anything, Todoroki had softened.

"Touya is acting on that same bitterness, but he's let it overwhelm him," Aizawa said. "All of you are hurting in different ways, Todoroki. There was nothing that you could've done differently." He gently placed a hand on Todoroki's bandaged shoulder. "You've done what you could, kid. And that's all that matters."

Todoroki's eyes shined a bit, his lips pulling into a flat line. He hung his head and nodded once.

Aizawa sighed and leaned back in his chair. What a complete mess. He hoped that one day, Todoroki would find that inner peace that he oh-so desires.

"Um, excuse me."

The nurse popped her head back in, a small smile on her face.

"You have more visitors, Todoroki-san," she announced before opening the door wider.

And in walked Todoroki's siblings and mother, along with Midoriya. They all had tears in their eyes, and some were even spilling across their cheeks.

"Shouto!" Fuyumi gasped, hurrying over her brother's side. She gently wrapped him in a hug. "Omigosh, we were so worried about you!"

Todoroki nodded at her. "I'm okay."

"Okay?! Todoroki, you're covered in bandages!" Midoriya said, his brows scrunched up.

"You were burned, too," Todoroki deflected.

Natsuo came in next and carefully ruffled Todoroki's hair, matting it up and mixing the colors together.

"They're just exaggerating! I knew you'd be perfectly fine!" he said.

"You were the one crying the most," Fuyumi said with a deadpan expression.

"Sis! Seriously?!" Natsuo squeaked, his face red.

When Rei moved in for a hug and motherly kiss to Todoorki's forehead, Aizawa suddenly felt that he was intruding on something. He stood to his feet and shuffled out of the room, giving Todoroki a small nod before closing the door behind him.

Once out in the hall, his body nearly collapsed from exhaustion. After being awake for far too long, he was overdue for a good rest.

He pulled out his phone, ready to text Present Mic to let him know that he was taking the day off tomorrow, but the device suddenly started buzzing in his hand. He blinked down at the caller ID and was surprised to read the words "RESTRICTED" blinking back at him.

Aizawa could feel the hairs on his arms raising.

He had a weird feeling about this.

He answered the call.

"Aizawa speaking," he greeted dully.

"Ah, Eraserhead."

Aizawa's eyes widened, and he had to suppress a gasp.

"Dabi," he said in return.

"Oh, is my voice that familiar? I always thought it sounded different over the phone."

Aizawa sighed. "Just cut to the chase. What do you want?"

Aizawa thought about asking how in the world Dabi got his number, but he felt like he probably wouldn't get an answer out of him.

"Still blunt, I see," Dabi said. He gave a weak chuckle that didn't sound at all genuine. In fact, everything about this conversation seemed rehearsed. "Fine. I'll skip right to it."

There was a brief pause, followed by a slow deep breath.

"I want to meet."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

* * *

The afternoon air was stale as Aizawa sat in the empty classroom, the sun starting to touch the horizon. He wanted to just stay there for the remainder of the evening. Maybe sleep in his yellow sleeping bag and hide out under his desk.

But he could feel the time ticking away on the watch on his wrist as if he was handcuffed. It felt so heavy on his arm all of a sudden.

He sighed. He had to move, damn it.

With a big huff, he pushed himself out of his desk chair and grabbed his bag to leave for the day. But he wasn't going home.

First, he needed to stop by the hospital to check on Todoroki. He was there overnight, but he wasn't made aware of his status all day. The nurses seem very protective and secretive. It was damned annoying, but he knew that they were just doing their jobs.

And then, after that…

Well.

He had something else to tend to.

_"__You want to what?"_

_Aizawa couldn't believe his ears at the suggestion. A villain wanting to meet a hero? A hero who trained the future heroes? He must've heard wrong._

_"__You heard me," Dabi said, sounding tired. Ah, so Aizawa didn't hear wrong. "I want to meet."_

_Aizawa paused for a moment, his brain firing on all cylinders. Should he try to track this call? What about Endeavor? Or the other heroes?_

_What should he do?_

_"__Why?" Aizawa asked._

_"__Tch. Why so suspicious?" Dabi asked. He sighed and then paused. "I figured we could possibly help each other out. Come to a… truce, I suppose."_

_Aizawa's brow rose in suspicion. "A truce? That doesn't sound like you."_

_"__Well, I can't be predictable all the time, can I?" Dabi drawled._

_"__Right," Aizawa said with a sigh. "So, what do you expect out of this truce? What is it you want?"_

_"__We'll discuss that when we meet," Dabi said. "Come to the East shore. Friday, 11 sharp."_

_"__The hell? How will I know where you are?" Aizawa asked. That was a large area._

_"__You'll know." He paused to take a deep breath. "Oh, yeah. Come alone. No need to bring any backup."_

_Aizawa frowned. "How am I supposed to know that this isn't a setup and I won't get attacked?"_

_"__I won't set you up if you don't set me up," Dabi answered. "I can tell when someone's bein' tailed. So if there's even a tiny suspicion of you lying, alls I gotta do is make one call."_

_Aizawa paused, taking in that information. Dabi had the upper hand here, sure. But if he wanted things to end peacefully…_

_He thought of Todoroki's face when they fought him, how Todoroki was screaming his brother's name and begging him to stop. He wondered if Todoroki would want this same kind of peace._

_"__Be there. I'll come to you. And come alone," Dabi said, interrupting his thoughts. "Or else."_

_Then, the line cut out, leaving a soft beep in Aizawa's ear. He sighed and glanced down at the phone, his body drained._

_This was going to be… interesting._

"Yo, Shouta! Goin' to see the kid?"

Aizawa blinked out of his reverie to see Hizashi waving him down in the entrance lobby of UA. He looked bright and cheerful, as per usual. Normally, Aizawa could handle it, but today, he wasn't really in quite the mood.

"Yeah, I'm on my way there now," Aizawa said, checking his watch. He pushed open the front door and headed out, Hizashi following behind him.

"Cool. Want to grab a bite to eat after? There's this new ramen shop in town that I want to try!" Hizashi said, practically yelling.

Aizawa resisted the urge to groan. A nice hot, steaming bowl of ramen sounded really good.

"Thanks for the offer, but I've got somewhere I have to be after that," he said.

"Huh? On a Friday?" Hizashi asked. "You usually hate going anywhere on Friday nights."

Aizawa sighed. "Yeah, I know."

Hizashi paused, brows furrowing. It was one of his rare moments when he was silent.

"Shouta? Everything okay?" Hizashi asked, the cheeriness in his tone gone. "You're being more secretive than usual."

"Yeah. Just something I have to do," Aizawa said. He felt his head start to pound.

Hizashi paused again, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Well, I guess I could come with ya. If you're up to it."

Aizawa glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, staring at his friend curiously. He was staring straight ahead, a smile on his face. But Aizawa could tell that he was reading between the lines.

They had always been like that—able to tell each other things without really saying it outright. It gave Aizawa comfort knowing that he had someone he could trust, at least. Someone who had his back no matter what.

"No. This is something I can do by myself," Aizawa said, feeling more assured of the situation now.

Hizashi turned to look at him, his eyes peeking over his glasses. "You're sure? Two heads are more than one, you know."

And there it was—the _I don't like what you're doing, so don't do it alone_ look.

"Yeah, I can handle it, Hizashi," Aizawa said seriously. "But you'll be the first I'd call if I need any company."

Hizashi hesitated a moment longer and then nodded, turning back to face forward.

"I'll have my phone on," he said. "Just in case you get lonely."

Aizawa huffed out a small laugh and hummed in appreciation. "Thanks."

They split off and Aizawa made his way to the hospital to visit Todoroki. It had only been a mere 48 hours since his admission, but he still wanted to see if there was any progress on his condition. With the deep burns and lacerations covering his body, as well as the few broken ribs, he left the boy in rough shape.

Once in the hospital, he made his way up into Todoroki's room, softly knocking on the door before entering. There was a quiet voice in response, letting him enter.

Aizawa opened up the door and walked inside, closing it behind him. Todoroki was sitting in the hospital bed, heavy bags under his eyes and a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead. His eyes widened a bit when he saw his teacher standing at the door.

"Sensei?" Todoroki asked. He moved to sit up.

"Whoa, kid. Don't trouble yourself," Aizawa said, lifting his hand. He walked over to the bed and sat down, putting a hand on Todoroki's shoulder and pushing him down. His palm moved to flatten against Todoroki's forehead. "You doing okay?"

Todoroki huffed against the pillows. "Yeah, I guess."

"You're warm," Aizawa said, pulling his hand back. "You've been running a fever?"

Todoroki shrugged. "A small one. It's not a big deal."

"For someone with a fire quirk, it's a really big deal," Aizawa said.

Todoroki sighed and shrugged again. "It's fine."

Aizawa hummed in thought, blinking slowly as he took in Todorkoi's appearance. His eye was twitching a bit.

"How's the pain?" Aizawa asked.

"It's… fine."

"That's not a real answer."

Todoroki frowned. "It's the only answer you're getting."

"Geez," Aizawa sighed. "Why are all you problem children so stubborn? I've already got my hands full."

Aizawa rubbed his tired eyes and then glanced up at the clock. It was nearing seven in the evening. It would give him plenty of time to get to the East Shore.

Man, should he really go through with it?

"Sensei," Todoroki called. Aizawa looked over at him, his gaze landing on Todoroki's blue eye. Now that he really thought about it, he and his brother really did have a lot in common. "Is there any news about Touya?"

Aizawa paused, his eyes looking away. "I can't really say one way or the other."

Todoroki looked curious, eyes soft as he stared sadly at his teacher for a moment. Then, he glanced away, his tired gaze looking in the corner of the room.

"Oh," he said. "But… he didn't turn himself in?"

"No, he didn't," Aizawa said.

Todoroki nodded in understanding as he went quiet, his expression unreadable. Aizawa tilted his head at him.

"Would you want him to go to prison?" Aizawa asked.

Todoroki's hands lightly gripped the bedsheets. "It's… complicated."

Aizawa folded his arms across his chest. "Just like with your father?"

Todoroki lowered his head and stayed silent. It seemed that this was still a touchy subject.

He wondered if Dabi was having the same thoughts.

Was this why Dabi wanted to meet him?

"Do you still not want to press charges against Endeavor?" Aizawa asked suddenly.

Todoroki nearly jumped, his eyes wide and full of shock. "What?"

Aizawa resisted rolling his eyes. "Your father, Todoroki. We never really finished this discussion the last time."

He recalled when Todoroki was in the infirmary, practically pestering the child for answers. But he was so ill at the time. It was no wonder that he was overwhelmed and unable to really give a proper response.

Todoroki wasn't in much better shape now, and Aizawa couldn't help but feel that if Endeavor had been a better father figure from the start, then none of it would have happened in the first place. Todoroki would've been better socially. Had more friends growing up. Been more balanced with his quirk.

But of course, things didn't happen that way. And there was only one person to blame for such actions.

"I don't know," Todoroki said finally. "He's All Might's replacement right now. The city depends on him for morale."

"But that's not a valid reason to let go of what he's done," Aizawa said.

Todoroki sat still on the bed, blinking back at his teacher without saying anything. It seemed like he couldn't find the right words to say, which Aizawa didn't blame him for.

"You don't have to do anything about it if you don't want to. But be prepared that I might take things into my own hands," Aizawa said.

Todoroki's brows pinched before he nodded in defeat. Aizawa sighed at his reaction and reached forward to grab his shoulder.

"I admire your resolve to sacrifice your wellbeing for the good of the people, Todoroki," Aizawa said. "You're going to be a great hero one day."

Todoroki's grimace disappeared, allowing his natural round features to settle back on his face. He nodded and hummed.

"Thank you, Sensei," Todoroki said.

"Mmn," Aizawa hummed. He got up from the bed. "Get some rest, kid. I'll check in with you tomorrow."

"Okay. Thank you for stopping by," Todoroki said.

Aizawa nodded at him as he closed the hospital door behind him, leaving him out in the hallway. He took several deep breaths with his eyes closed as he tried to process what he was about to do.

Why couldn't he have stayed as an underground hero? Why did he have to care about these brats so much?

With a sigh, he turned to head down the hall.

…Only to nearly run right into Problem Child #2.

"Midoriya," Aizawa said, eyebrow raised.

"Ah, Sensei…" Midoriya greeted skittishly. He was still in his school uniform, with his backpack thrown over his shoulders. His hands gripped the straps.

"You seem to be lost. The UA dorms aren't around here," Aizawa said. He looked down at his watch. "And I believe curfew has already started."

"Um! Well! I was just getting Todoroki's homework!" Midoriya squeaked.

Aizawa narrowed his eyes at him, just to give him a good glare before he sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. Todoroki is tired, so don't bother him too much," Aizawa said. "And don't get caught sneaking back in. You all are terrible at stealth. Damn, I should really teach you guys that."

Midoriya nodded quickly and then bowed stiffly by the waist. "Yes, Sensei!"

Then, he clambered inside Todoroki's room, leaving Aizawa out in the hall. He looked at the shut hospital door, hearing Midoriya's cheerful voice as he spoke to Todoroki about all of their lessons that day.

Well, at least he could relax, even if just a little. Todoroki needed cheering up, and Midoriya was practically a professional at it.

Aizawa took in a deep breath.

Now, it was time to deal with a different member of the Todoroki clan.

* * *

Aizawa easily snuck past the guard that was patrolling the docks and waited on the shore, listening as the waves softly crashed on the beach. He paced along the cobblestone pathways until he reached sand, letting his boots sink in.

He checked his watch, the time _10:59pm_ blinking back at him. He shoved his hand back into his pocket and looked around, waiting for some kind of signal.

That's when he saw something flickering underneath the docks where the sand still stood unhidden from the tide. Something blue.

Ah.

Aizawa checked his surroundings before quickly ducking into the shadows to move underneath the docks. Once under the docks, he could see a small campfire brewing in the center, out of sight from anyone walking around.

The campfire was red, but the flame dancing in Dabi's palm was a shimmering blue.

"Ah, so you made it," Dabi said, snuffing out his blue flame. "I was wondering if you'd chicken out."

"Right. Well, I'm on time. So what is it you want?" Aizawa asked.

"No need to be hostile, Eraserhead," Dabi said, leaning back against the concrete wall. "I won't kill you as long as you cooperate."

Aizawa narrowed his eyes and frowned into his scarf. His heart would usually pound against his chest when he would face a villain, but right now, he felt completely calm. He wasn't sure if he should feel unsettled or not.

"Fine. I'm here, so what now?" Aizawa said.

"Touchy," Dabi said. "Well, I'll get to it, then."

He huffed and pushed himself from the wall, turning to face Aizawa head on.

"I can get you information about the League."

Aizawa's eyes widened at his words, his entire body stiffening as they processed in his mind.

"The League?" Aizawa echoed.

"Yep," Dabi answered. He knelt down to the fire and stared down at it, the light illuminating his scarred features on his face.

"What kind of information?" Aizawa asked.

"Oh, you know. Their plans and whereabouts. What else would I mean, moron?" Dabi said without any real bite to his words.

Aizawa mentally stumbled, his thoughts seeming to stutter to a halt. He could attain some valuable knowledge from this man about an organization that had eluded them for a while. And it was being handed to him on a silver platter!

That being said... something didn't add up.

"Aren't they your friends, or something?" Aizawa asked.

Dabi shrugged. "Most of them don't really talk to me, anyway, but I suppose I'm more fond of some over others."

Aizawa frowned. "Then what's in it for you?" he asked. "What do you have to gain from turning them over?"

Dabi huffed out a laugh and looked up at Aizawa from his position on the ground.

"You really think I would just give you that information, just like that?" Dabi asked.

Ah, so there it was. His true motive.

"What do you want?" Aizawa asked.

Dabi took a moment, his face sobering for a moment before he pushed himself up from the ground, brushing off his pants. He shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Nothing big," Dabi said, obviously sarcastic. "Just for my old man to go down."

Aizawa's heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean by_ go down?"_

Dabi wasn't smiling anymore, which made Aizawa nervous.

"My first choice would be for him to die. By my hand, of course," Dabi said. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "But that option seems to be out. So… I guess him just being banned from being a hero would be good."

Aizawa glanced down at the ground, his eyes staring at Dabi's boots. They were strangely similar to Todoroki's design for his own boots.

Weird.

"How is Shouto, anyway?" Dabi asked. "That little bastard still alive?"

Aizawa looked up to see Dabi looking at him seriously. Was he really putting on this caring act now?

"He's fine. Recovering," Aizawa said.

Dabi nodded once and then glanced back down at the fire. "So. We have a deal?"

Aizawa swallowed, his hands itching to reach for his capture weapon. He thought of all of the bad things that Todoroki had told him about his father, and the subtle hints from his siblings while they were visiting in the hospital the other day.

There was still so much that he didn't know about Enji, and he needed to know more in order to make a decision.

"I need to think on it," Aizawa said.

Dabi hesitated. "Yeah, I figured." He took a deep breath and tilted his head back to look up at the dark pier. "I'll give you 24 hours."

"24 hours? That's all?" Aizawa asked incredulously. "I'll need more time than that."

"That's all you get. Accept it or leave now," Dabi said, his eyes growing sharper.

It was getting a little warm surrounding the man, and Aizawa didn't want to start anything here. He knew he could at least cut off his quirk and get away, but Dabi could easily call for backup at any time, leaving Aizawa grossly outnumbered.

"Fine. Call me at 24 hours from now, and I will have your answer," Aizawa said.

Dabi glanced at him, expression blank, and then nodded, seemingly satisfied by Aizawa's answer.

"Sounds good, Eraser." He smirked at him. "So, how does it feel to work with a villain?"

"This isn't us working together, Dabi. Don't get that confused," Aizawa said.

Dabi shrugged. "Whatever. We're both after the same thing, right?" he asked. "To take down a monster who calls himself a hero?"

Aizawa blinked at him, trying to come up with the right words. "Todoroki, er… your brother mentioned some things about Enji," he said. "But he didn't go into detail."

Dabi's smile fell from his face. "And, what? You want those details from me?"

"It would help your case," Aizawa said. "Anything that could give evidence against Enji would help you and the rest of your family."

Dabi paused, his expression growing dark as he seemed to get lost in his mind for a moment. It was creepy and disturbing coming from the man who already looked like he was knocking on death's door.

But Aizawa needed to know more information. He was on the edge of moving forward towards going to the police about Enji, but he needed that little push to send him over. Honestly, he was afraid of the information that Dabi would give him. Undoubtedly, his opinion of Enji would change forever.

"Well," Dabi started with a sigh. "What do you want to know?"

Aizawa took a deep breath.

"Everything."

* * *

An hour later, and Aizawa was on his way down to the station, his head hanging as he stared at the ground.

His hands were in his pockets, and his mind kept repeating the same words over and over.

_Damn it, damn it, damn it…_

He didn't think he could be this angry.

He walked into the station and walked up the front desk, watching the late-night shift tiredly working at their desks. The receptionist glanced up and gave him a tired smile.

"Oh, hello! How can I help you, sir?" she asked.

Aizawa sighed.

He wasn't getting any rest tonight.

"Is Detective Tsukauchi in?"

* * *

The sun was rising by the time Aizawa headed back to his apartment.

Frustrated, tired, but too wired to sleep, he climbed the stairs with a sigh, his hand rubbing down his face.

Within the past 24 hours, he had seriously considered quitting.

Being a hero…

What did that even mean anymore?

Was it really okay to allow just anyone to become a hero? Anyone who had the drive to become a hero by any means necessary shouldn't hurt others just to get there.

That wasn't being a hero.

It was being a bully.

"Ah, there you are!"

Aizawa looked up from the ugly carpet of the hallway to see a bright and shiny Hizashi waving at him from his door. He was holding a carrying case with two to-go cups of coffee in his hand.

"What are you doing here?" Aizawa asked tiredly as he took one of the cups offered to him. "That text I sent you was just letting you know I was heading home."

"Well, I just wanted to make sure you actually were headin' home," Hizashi said. "And I figured, whatever it was, that it was serious and you needed to talk about it."

Aizawa frowned. He appreciated that Hizashi was being so quiet this morning, but he wasn't sure if he really wanted to talk things over with him.

"You didn't need to come here," Aizawa said.

"What, are you really gonna send me away?" Hizashi asked with a pout. "And I brought you coffee, too!"

"No, no, shut up. How do you have this much energy this early?" Aizawa asked. He took a sip of coffee and the caffeine rushed through his system like a dream, making his body feel warm. "Damn, that's good."

"See? You'd just mope around your place the whole day if I didn't come by," Hizashi said with a smile.

"Who's to say I still won't do that with you here?" Aizawa asked as he unlocked his door. Hizashi sputtered indignantly, looking offended. Aizawa hid his smile in his cup. "Well? You coming in?"

Hizashi crossed his arms. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

Aizawa sighed. "I wouldn't invite you in otherwise."

Hizashi smiled and walked inside, shutting the door behind him. They both shucked off their shoes and headed inside the apartment, both of them patting Aizawa's black cat that greeted them in the living room.

"So, how bad are we talking here? What kind of trouble are you in?" Hizashi asked as he plopped down on the couch.

Aizawa sighed, sitting next to him. "It's not me who is going to be in trouble, I don't think."

Hizashi took a sip of his coffee. "Alrighty then. So who's going to jail?"

Aizawa paused, his stomach sinking.

"Endeavor."

Hizashi froze next to him and was silent for a full minute before he even moved. He set down his coffee on the end table and got up.

"I'll get some beer."

* * *

A few weeks later…

* * *

"Kaminari, don't let me catch you sleeping in class again."

"A-Ah, yes, sir!"

The rest of class 1-A giggled as Aizawa scolded the boy in front of the class for falling asleep _again_. How in the world was this boy passing?

"Anyway, you guys are almost done with your first year. Finals are coming up, so don't slack off," Aizawa said.

"Um, Sensei?" Yaoyorozu raised her hand.

"Yes?" Aizawa said. He was ready to take a nap in his sleeping bag until afternoon gym class.

"Once finals are over, are we getting a break?" she continued.

Aizawa nodded once. "Yes. For three weeks."

"And… we can go home?" she asked.

Aizawa hummed. "Yeah. Your break is your freedom to go home."

The entire class broke out into cheers, everyone rapidly talking about how they'll get to eat their mother's cooking or something like that. Everyone looked incredibly happy about this news.

Well, except for one person.

Aizawa's gaze traveled to the back of the classroom, watching as Todoroki stared blankly down at his desk, looking bored if anything.

Aizawa sighed. The past few weeks had been tense for the poor boy. And he knew that he had partially been the cause.

Once Aizawa had gone to the police with his information about Endeavor, they were quick to dismiss it, calling his accusations outrageous. But Detective Tsukauchi was involved, he decided to look into it. And boy, did he do his research.

He interviewed Todoroki first, who was still in the hospital at the time, and then the siblings (Natsuo gladly volunteered any information he could give him), and even Rei, who timidly answered what she could about her estranged husband.

After the information was out there, Enji was quickly stripped of his hero's license, and his rankings were pulled overnight.

He had gone from being the number one hero to a nobody in a mere 24 hours.

Detective Tsukauchi didn't press charges right away, but he told Aizawa that he would be keeping on an eye on it.

And of course, the news of Enji's demise quickly spread throughout the world. Of course, the media had no idea why Enji stopped being a hero, per Todoroki's request.

Dabi hated that, but at least he wasn't a hero anymore. Dabi was satisfied enough that the man could rot in his own misery alone.

The entire ordeal left the youngest Todoroki confused, which didn't help his already socially inept personality. His grades even suffered a bit as his concentration dipped. Aizawa worried that the young man may never recover by the time finals arrived.

"All right, enough of that. Class dismissed," Aizawa said.

He watched as the students grabbed their things to leave, each of them slipping through the doors of his classroom. He eyed Todoroki as he moved slowly to grab his bag and go for the door.

"Todoroki," he called.

The boy paused right by the door, Midoriya hovering close behind. He nodded towards Midoriya and gestured towards the door.

"You can leave," Aizawa said. "Let me talk to Todoroki alone."

Midoriya frowned and looked at Todoroki in concern. Todoroki shrugged and nodded, which made Aizawa even more confused. But Midoriya seemed to understand his body language, and he carefully slipped out of the room.

"Yes, Sensei?" Todoroki said once the rest of his classmates had vacated the classroom.

Aizawa leaned forward on his desk.

"I'll be blunt. I think you should maybe take a break," Aizawa said.

Todoroki's eyes widened. "What?" he said. "But finals are next week."

"Exactly," Aizawa said. "You're obviously distracted by this entire thing with your father. I think you need a day or two just to decompress before you take the finals."

Todoroki frowned. "I don't want special treatment."

"That's not what this is," Aizawa said. "Todoroki, taking the next few days off won't kill you. Actually, go ahead and skip your last class and go do something fun."

Todoroki's anger morphed into confusion. "Fun?"

Oh, someone please help this child.

"You know, something you do in your free time," Aizawa said.

Todoroki fidgeted in place. "I usually just sleep when I have free time."

"Then do that," Aizawa said. "Just don't be at the school until finals start next week."

Todoroki took in a deep breath and slumped. "Yes, sir."

He made it a few steps towards the door before another thought crossed Aizawa's mind.

"One more thing," Aizawa said, stopping Todoroki. "Do you have a place to stay during the break?"

Todoroki's lips parted in surprise. He took a minute to mull it over.

"I'm…" He let his voice trail off, his hand moving to rub the back of his head. "I think my sister might have an extra futon at her new place, or something…"

Aizawa sighed. The entire case was so focused on covering for Enji that they forgot what to do with the children in the aftermath. He respected law enforcement and child services, but this was just sloppy and unethical.

"I have an extra bedroom," Aizawa said, standing to his feet. "Stay with me for now."

Todoroki's eyes widened, his hand falling from the door. "What? I couldn't do that. That's—"

"You already told me you would, remember?" Aizawa interrupted.

That night in the hospital, when Todoroki had broken down for the first time in front of Aizawa's eyes—giving him a reminder that this truly was just a child—was when Todoroki promised that he would stay with his teacher if he had no other place to go.

The memory seemed to dawn on Todoroki at the same time, and he nodded solemnly.

"Don't give me that look. It's not pity, you know," Aizawa said, rolling his eyes. "I'm doing it because I care, kid. Now go on, go back to your room and sleep it off."

Todoroki nodded and bowed his head. "Yes, sir." He slid open the door and paused in the doorway, looking over his shoulder to give his teacher a meaningful look. "Thank you, Sensei."

Aizawa took in a deep breath. He was glad he didn't resign.

"You're welcome, kid."

* * *

Several months later

* * *

Aizawa was roused from his sleep in the middle of the night due to an alarm pinging on his phone.

He turned over in his bed and grabbed the device, looking at it to see what the problem was. He was surprised to see that the alarm was coming from his own apartment. The balcony door was opened.

Aizawa sprung out of his bed and grabbed his scarf, hurrying out of his bedroom and to the living room to check out the cause for the alarm.

He suspected a possible intruder but was relieved to find that it was just Todoroki.

Funny. He had been in this situation before.

Aizawa put down his scarf and walked out onto the balcony, moving to stand next to the teenager.

"Oh. Sorry, did I wake you?" Todoroki asked.

Aizawa leaned against the railing to gaze up at the stars. This suddenly felt a little familiar.

"It's fine. I'm just glad you're not an intruder," Aizawa said. "So, what're you doing up? Not more nightmares, right? Fever?"

Todoroki shook his head. "Just couldn't sleep."

"Mmn," Aizawa hummed. "Well, as long as you're not running a fever then."

Todoroki stayed quiet, his eyes gazing down at the city streets below.

Aizawa sighed softly at the boy's silence. Once things had finally settled down, Aizawa just told Todoroki to come back to his place during any breaks they had. They were now in their winter break, which was extended due to how the calendar fell this year.

It was January 10th, and Aizawa still didn't know much about Todoroki.

"Sensei," Todoroki started, breaking the silence.

"Hm?"

"Have you… spoken to Touya recently?" Todoroki asked.

Aizawa blinked at him, not expecting that question at all. He cleared his throat.

"Maybe," he answered.

Todoroki frowned. "You really can't tell me anything? About where he is? Or if he's still in the League?"

"Sorry, kid. Gotta keep things classified," Aizawa said. "And if you knew where he was, you might try to do something stupid."

Todoroki twisted his lips and turned his head away. He was silent for a moment or two before he started speaking again.

"He told you everything about my family," Todoroki said. It wasn't a question, so Aizawa didn't need to answer. "But yet, he won't talk to me? We haven't had a real conversation. The last time we saw each other, he was trying to kill me."

He paused, his hands gripping the railing of the balcony.

"Does he even care?" he asked quietly.

Aizawa thought it over, wondering if he should say anything at all.

Ah, screw it.

"He did ask about you."

Todoroki whipped his head back to look at his teacher with wide eyes.

"He… did?" Todoroki asked.

Aizawa nodded. "Yep. When you were in the hospital because of his actions. He seemed pretty worried about your condition."

Todoroki took in a deep breath and looked back out at the city, his eyes narrowed as a breeze of wind ruffled up his hair.

"I yelled at him the last time I saw him," Todoroki admitted. He hung his head. "How does that make me any different than _him?"_

Him.

His father, Aizawa presumed. There wasn't any other connection that he could have made.

"You're nothing like him, Todoroki," Aizawa said. "Touya… probably forgives you. For what you said."

Todoroki's expression relaxed a little, and he nodded, turning his gaze back up to the sky.

"I just… hope he was wrong about me," Todoroki said.

Aizawa wasn't exactly sure who Todoroki was talking about, but he decided not to push. The boy was already on edge enough as it is. He didn't need to add fuel to the flames.

"You will be a good hero one day, Todoroki," Aizawa said. "I meant what I said that night in the hospital. You're already well on your way to being a good one." He paused, thinking over his statement. He rested his hand on Todoroki's shoulder. "And you're going to be a good man, too."

He felt Todoroki's shoulder drop slightly out of relief.

Those were the words Todoroki wanted to hear.

He didn't care about being a good hero. He already knew that.

He was worried that his character was already tarnished.

He was worried that he would grow up to be the same hateful man that his father was, or the vengeful man that his brother became.

But Aizawa knew that Todoroki would never be like that. Not when he had such a pure heart.

"Thank you, Sensei," Todoroki said softly.

"You're welcome, kid," Aizawa said.

He took his hand off of Todoroki's shoulder to glance down at his watch. The tiny date in the corner made his eyes widen a bit.

January 11th.

"Ah," Aizawa said, as he suddenly remembered it. He looked at Todoroki. "Happy birthday, Todoroki."

Todoroki huffed out a laugh and smiled softly. "This one wasn't as spectacular as last year's."

"The day is far from over, you know," Aizawa said. "Anything could happen."

"Yeah, sure," Todoroki said. "I don't think anything could top last year."

Aizawa smiled knowingly.

"Midoriya has a huge party planned for later."

"….what?"

"Good night, Todoroki."

* * *

END


End file.
